


Unbreak My Heart

by O_M_Jee



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Dark Josie, F/F, F/M, Handon, Hate to Love, Hope is soft for Josie, Hosie, Sex Talk, fixing the shit that was 2x08, hizzie friendship, some hot hosie stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:28:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 43,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21815197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/O_M_Jee/pseuds/O_M_Jee
Summary: Post 2x08 and fixing all that love triangle plot in that episode with the hosie-focused continuation that I want. Though thanks to 2x08, this will be a little angsty.How will Josie and Hope find their way to each other after Landon did that stunt of breaking up with Josie and immediately taking Hope back?
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Josie Saltzman, Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman
Comments: 184
Kudos: 777





	1. Shortcake

Her eyes were heavy. Josie woke up to what felt like a hangover except it was not a hangover from alcohol but tears. She cried to sleep last night. All night. Thanks to Landon. That break-up speech was the most condescending shit she ever heard. It did not make her feel any better than when he did it on paper in Penelope’s burn book. It was enough though, to cause her the heartbreak she had been avoiding to hit hard. So hard she could only cry uncontrollably non-stop until she fell asleep.

The morning atmosphere in her room did not feel any better as well. Lizzie was not in her bed so Josie could not find the comfort in a sisterly cuddle. She wondered if Lizzie even got into bed at all last night. She always woke up earlier than Lizzie so it would be weird if Lizzie woke up earlier than her. She should look for her sister.

======

Hope looked at Landon who was well asleep in her bed. She moved to the edge of the bed carefully, making sure not to wake him up. Everything happened so fast. He came back last night, told her he needed to do something first(presumably telling Josie his choice?) and then came back and swept Hope back into his arms. It was all romantic and they finally celebrated their love in her bed. Was it normal to have a heavy feeling in her heart after making love to the boy she loves? She did not sleep that well because of that heavy feeling and was now awake at 4 in the morning. She told herself it was not because of Josie. That name had a hard effect on her now. Not the girl she did not want to cause pain to.

Hope rubbed her head in unexplained frustration and decided to go for a run to clear her mind. A wolf run would be good. The tribrid quietly got dressed and left her room. She shifted near her favorite tree in the woods and ran. Hope ran free for more than an hour until she was satisfied. Once she shifted back to human, she got dressed quickly but she started hearing voices in the distance. It was coming from the old mill.

“You need to go back first, Sebastian.” Lizzie told the vampire as she laid a kiss on his lips. “We don’t need everyone seeing us together and spreading stuff about us yet. If word got to my dad, you’ll be kicked off the school before I could blink my eyes.”

“Am I the only man you copulated without your dad’s knowledge? I would not believe so.” Sebastian did not fret.

“I don’t know. I don’t talk to my dad about this kind of stuff. And I don’t wanna know if he knows too.” Lizzie furrowed her brow at the vampire.

“So, we could just pretend he doesn’t know then.” Sebastian slipped his arms tighter around Lizzie’s waist.

“Just go… It’s almost time for school and my father is expecting you in his office first thing in the morning.” Lizzie reluctantly pushed the sexy vampire away from her. “And don’t you dare tell him about us.”

Sebastian stole a kiss before he relented and left. Lizzie was now alone in the old mill where she and her new fuck buddy spent the night hardly sleeping. Or not alone anymore.

“Looks like someone got laid.” Hope greeted Lizzie after Sebastian left. “And I assumed it was a good one?”

“Ohh…many good ones.” Lizzie replied, quite surprised to see Hope. “What brings you here this early in the morning? Thought you’ll be cuddling up in the hobbit’s nest. I saw you two canoodling under some romantic lights last night.”

“I needed a run.” Hope shrugged as she walked over to Lizzie. The two girls get comfortable sitting down on the sofa to chat.

“Wolf run?” Lizzie asked.

Hope nodded.

“I thought you only needed a wolf run when you’re in a bad mood or feeling frustrated.” Lizzie raised an eyebrow as she guessed. “Was sex with the hobbit that frustrating?”

Hope chuckled as she shook her head. “Gosh, Lizzie. Nothing’s always about sex.”

Lizzie ignore Hope’s comment as she nudged her shoulder against Hope’s teasingly. “So.. was it a good lay for you too? Or good many lays?”

“Stop it!” Hope playfully slapped Lizzie’s arm. “It was just one and it was nice...”

“Seriously? Just one? Is he that weak that he could only do one round?”

“It’s not that…he only has one condom.”

“Oh right…” Lizzie nodded in understanding and then drew a proud grin. “He’s not a vampire. Guess I win on that part.”

“Please!” Hope held a hand up. “I don’t need to know how many rounds of unsafe sex you had last night.”

Lizzie rolled her eyes and decided to refocus on the subject of Hope’s morning run. “So why the run?”

“I…ah…don’t know… I Just needed…” Hope shook her head.

“Wait!” Lizzie stopped Hope from talking as she looked over Hope’s shoulder, finally noticing someone else in the old mill as well.

Josie had stood listening to Lizzie and Hope’s girl talk about boys and sex and it was nauseating. Everything from the just ex-boyfriend jumping immediately into bed with the girl she just made peace with to Lizzie and Hope happily having girl talks about their sexy time with their boyfriends were bringing back that miserable pain she was trying to get rid of.

“JO!!” Lizzie called out to her sister but Josie had turned on her heels, running off in tears.

“Oh crap.” Hope muttered as she caught Josie’s pale hurtful face before she ran off.

====

“Jo! Look.. it’s not what you think!” Lizzie tried to explain as soon as she found her sister in their room. “I mean, it is what it is… but..”

“You spent the night having old mill sex when I needed you the most! When he tore my heart out in the most patronizing way last night..and then actually jumping into Hope’s bed right away?!” Josie cried.

“I..I’m sorry!” Lizzie apologized, moving quickly to hug her sister. “I had no idea he would do all of that in one night.”

“I thought he wouldn’t come back this soon. It has been less than two days. I was trying to get over him leaving and not choosing this soon.” Josie sobbed onto her sister’s shoulder.

“Oh I’m sorry, Jo…I brought him back so he could be safer with us in the school. I didn’t know things would turn up like this.” Lizzie comforted.

“Why… why didn’t you tell me you went to get him?”

“You were drunk with that merry spell, I don’t know. And I-I promised Hope to bring him back.. since him being away still brought monsters to us.”

Josie pulled away from the hug and looked at her sister. “You did it for Hope then, huh?”

“Jo…please…I did it for the both of you. He needs to man up and settle things between you two as well.”

“It was never about how I would feel. Why am I not surprised, Lizzie?!” The brunette shook her head at the blonde before slamming the door on her way out of the room. 

====

For several days, Josie gave mostly everyone the silent treatment, particularly Lizzie, Hope and Landon. Josie would immerse herself into finding clues about the merge in the library. And when witnessing painful stuff like Hope and Landon stealing kisses in the hallway or Lizzie and Hope hanging out together or going on secret double dates, she would drown herself into the world of black magic. She learnt a spell or two to get high and feel better. To make sure Lizzie was not affected by Josie practising black magic, Josie still kept that hour glass close to her so that the side effects stayed away from them.

Hope could see a change in Josie. It was worse than snarky Josie who was dating Landon when memories of Hope was non-existent previously. Josie was darkly quiet and kept mostly to herself. Hope knew deep down the girl was suffering from hurt. The tribrid noted she had herself to blame for this. She did after all take Landon back as soon as he dumped Josie.

“Josie…” Hope called out to the brunette when she passed by the brunette in the hallway one day.

“Can’t talk.” Josie walked past Hope quickly.

“You’ll have to talk to me sooner or later!” Hope told the girl who was rushing out toward the exit.

Hope followed suit, curious where Josie was heading since she was carrying an overnighter.

“Where are you going?” Hope asked when she saw Josie slipping into the twins’ camaro.

“None of your business, Hope.” Josie replied without looking at the tribrid as she turned the engine on and sped off out of Salvatore boarding school.

Hope quickly headed to the twins’ room and found Lizzie still in bed. The tribrid nudged a sleepy Lizzie to wake up. Lizzie grunted in annoyance.

“Josie left in her car! Alone! Lizzie, wake up!” Hope reported.

“Yeah, yeah.. She’s going to visit Aunt Bonnie. And stay there for the weekend.” Lizzie reported back.

“She told you? She’s not mad at you anymore?” Hope asked.

“Hope, she’s my sister. She can’t be mad at me for long. But she’s still more distant to me than usual. I guess this trip could help her in a way? She doesn’t have to face you and Landon that’s for sure.”

“Sigh…I don’t know what to do, Lizzie. I need her to talk to me at least. We made peace only to have things back to shit again. I hate this.” Hope let out.

“Well, if it took me three weeks for her to talk to me again without me talking first, I guess it’ll take much longer for you. Your biggest crime being the one jumping into Malivore and causing all this relationship clusterfuck in the first place.”

“Not helping, Lizzie.” Hope sighed. “Landon at least offered to talk to Josie too...”

“NO! Don’t you dare let that midget heart-breaker near my sister! She took months getting over Satan but this time, it’s worse because it’s not one but two people she cared about. Understand?”

“So, you’re really not gonna help me out?”

“I didn’t say that. Maybe we can do something for Josie. We can plan something when she comes back.” Lizzie added sleepily. “You know what’s weird. Whenever I mentioned your name, Josie would give me that same hateful reaction when I brought up Penelope’s name during the days they first broke up. She was so sensitive to that name. So, I had to come out with nicknames like satan. Now, I had to come up with one for you as well!”

“And what did you come out with?”

“Shortcake.”

“Gee, at least that sounds better than satan or hobbit.”

“That’s because I’m nice to you.”


	2. Outcast

As Josie pulled up the driveway, she could see Bonnie Bennett standing at the porch of her house, welcoming her with a beautiful smile.

“Hey there sweet Josie!” Bonnie opened her arms for Josie to run into.

“Aunt Bonnie!” Josie hugged her mother’s best friend and her mentor. “Thanks for having me for the weekend.”

“Sure, baby girl. Gosh, you girls keep growing taller every year!” Bonnie tried to drape an arm over the taller girl’s shoulders but it was tougher now. “I miss you girls. It’s a pity Lizzie didn’t come.”

“Lizzie’s recently been seeing someone so…” Josie shrugged as she headed into the house with Bonnie. “Besides, coming to visit you was my idea. I miss you, Aunt Bonnie.”

“Ahh..wait a minute!” Bonnie paused with her arms folded. “Did your sister put you up to this? So she could have the whole room to herself….. with the boyfriend?”

Josie shook her head quickly. “Nooo…I mean…I didn’t think of that when I planned to visit you. I just wanted to do this on my own actually, without Lizzie.”

“It’s fine. I’m just kidding. Lizzie reminds me so much of Caroline. Now tell me, are you dating anyone now as well?” Bonnie led Josie to sit on the couch in her living room.

“No…I’m trying not to date anyone now. Staying off relationships for now.” Josie admitted sadly.

“Now, who broke my sweet Josie’s heart? A boy? Or a girl?” Bonnie asked with a concerned smile.

“It’s a boy…..and.. a girl.. I’m sorry. It’s really complicated. I don’t wanna bore you with the details. And I really need to get my mind off them. That’s why I’m here too.”

“Of course you can get your mind off them here because we’re gonna have a blast this weekend, ok?” Bonnie smiled widely.

“Thank you, Aunt Bonnie. I can help you with the chores too!”

“That won’t be necessary, Josie.” Bonnie then added, remembering Josie as her favorite little know-all witch. “I’d rather you’re here to share some new interesting spell I haven’t taught you.”

“I’m so glad you asked. But before I get into that. I have a gift for you, Aunt Bonnie.” Josie reached behind to take out a small well-decorated box from her bag.

“Nice… A music box?” Bonnie asked

“Open it.” Josie nodded.

As Bonnie opened the music box, releasing the clasp, something pricked her finger and the witch let out a soft gasp of pain.

“Oh my god, Are you okay? I had no idea the clasp was faulty. I’m so sorry!” Josie apologized and quickly took the music box from Bonnie and checked on her finger.

“It’s fine, Josie.” Bonnie laughed it off as she sucked lightly on the blood of her finger and went to the kitchen to find a small band aid. “So, tell me, did you learn a new spell?”

“Well, actually before we get into the spell stuff, I need to ask you more about my family history.” Josie replied. “I need to know more about my uncle. The one we put in prison?”

Bonnie raised her brow, a little concerned and curious but she checked. “Kai?”

“Yes!” Josie added. “I just wanna know more about him and that prison world.”

“Why?”

“You know how Lizzie and I will have to go through the merge eventually…”

“Josie, you need to know your mother and I are trying our best to find the loophole to this curse. Please don’t worry yourself with this, ok? You and Lizzie just need to live your life like normal teenagers for now.” The witch advised.

“I know but it’s been bugging me. I need to help find the solution too. It’s the best distraction for me now, Aunt Bonnie.” Josie explained.

“And what has that got to do with Kai, Josie?”

“He was involved in his own merge as well. I have only heard stories of his ruthless killing ways and mom refuses to tell me more about him. I’m not a kid anymore. I can take it all this information. I know that you’ve spend a great amount of time with him in that world too. You must know something. Something he could have said in passing that could be useful as a clue to our merge problem. There is no one alive here who knows about our coven and our curse as much as he knows.”

“Kai only cares about himself winning the merge.” Bonnie told Josie. “He had never thought of any ways to stop the merge except to win it himself! He will even kill his twin or his siblings way before the merge even started. He knows nothing but the cruel ways of winning the merge himself. He even tried to kill you and Lizzie when you were little.”

“Gosh I must have been too little to remember that..” But Josie was still curious to know about this uncle. “But I’m sure there must be some background or cause to turn him like this. I mean, not everyone in my family are that crazy so maybe he’s not as bad.”

“Josie, this man is a sociopath. He has caused chaos in our world so much I had to put him away again.”

“He wasn’t born a sociopath, Aunt Bonnie. We all aren’t unless maybe something traumatic happened in the past?”

“All I know was that he was treated like an outcast in his coven because he was a siphon? I don’t know the details and how traumatic it was to turn him this bad.” Bonnie recalled.

Josie thought long about that. That outcast feeling her uncle might have felt. It could almost be like what she was feeling now.

=====

“Hope, I need your help tonight.” Lizzie sat down opposite the tribrid during lunch.

Landon the hobbit was next to Hope as well and Lizzie did not bother greeting him.

“Help with what?” Hope asked as she ate her lunch.

“You need to tell my dad that you’re sleeping over for the weekend in my room. I told him we’re having our own slumber party since Josie’s bed is available.” Lizzie informed.

“We are?” Hope asked again.

“No, dumbass!” Lizzie rolled her eyes. “I need you as a cover so that I can sneak Sebastian into my room!”

“Are you crazy?!” Hope exclaimed. “You expect me to sleep in Josie’s bed while you have sex?!”

“NOOO!! What the fuck? You just need to pretend to hang in my room and leave when Sebastian arrives. My dad checks on us before 11pm so you need to just hang there till then. When Josie’s not around, dad checks on me more often, sometimes in the middle of the night but with Dad thinking you’re sleeping over, I know he won’t check that often.” Lizzie explained.

Hope gave it a thought and then nodded. “Fine! You owe me, Saltzman.”

“Great! Thanks!” Lizzie gave an appreciative clap.

“Wait! You’re letting her take those weekend hours from me?” Landon complained to Hope.

“Oh shut up, Frodo. You’ll get your sexy time with Hope after 11.” Lizzie told the phoenix.

“Hey, I’m not one for you guys to arrange my sexy times!” Hope answered. “I choose my own sexy times ok?”

“Which is hardly any these days.” Landon mumbled as he ate his food.

====

Lying on Josie’s bed felt surprisingly comforting. Hope could smell the familiar vanilla scent of the brunette siphon and could not help but sniff more of her pillow. Pressing her face in Josie’s pillow gave her a calm effect but also brought about the sudden realization that she missed Josie dearly.

Hope could hear Lizzie tugging herself into her own bed by now.

“Do you miss her?” Hope asked her blond friend.

“Who? My sister? It’s only been one night, Hope.” Lizzie stated.

Right, wrong time to ask a sex-ready Lizzie about missing her twin, Hope noted.

“What do you think your sister is doing now?” Hope asked curiously.

“Practicing new spells with Aunt Bonnie, I guess. Josie’s always the one begging for new spells to learn or new improvs to spells.” Lizzie shrugged.

“Yeah, I bet. My aunt Freya told me Josie’s a surprisingly smart witch for her age. She worked with my aunt on deciphering that Japanese memory blast spell.” Hope revealed.

“That’s Josie for you.” Lizzie added. “You know, Jo could have chosen not to do that spell. She really made a selfless decision in getting everyone’s memories of you back. She chose to do that so you could have your family back too…. Knowing well the high possibility she’d get her heart broken in the process..” 

“I know, Lizzie.” Hope covered her face, sighing with the thoughts of Josie again.

“I’m not trying to put the guilt trip on you, Hope. I just can’t help it but feel how shitty life has been for my sister. Everyone she’s dated left her. They didn’t choose her and not because it was her fault. She gave her all in a relationship. Satan left her because she couldn’t deal with Josie caring more for me, her own sister! After much therapy, I’m more of this fuck-this-who’s-next kinda person but Josie’s not. When Josie confessed that crush on you and that awful lie she created about me, I couldn’t get mad at her, knowing how she was already so insecure at that young age. Always thinking I will get what I want while she doesn’t.”

Yeah, Hope remembered that crush confession. How could Josie think she would not get what she wanted because of Lizzie? She would so go out with Josie Saltzman then if she knew. Hope had a crush on young Josie who was so used to being the shadow of her sister that she had no idea she was so brilliant in her own way. Like who would leave a Josie Saltzman? Fuck! Her boyfriend. The guilt trip still hit Hope. Why must things be this complicated between them now?

“Did you tell Josie about my crush on her when we were younger?” Hope recalled and asked Lizzie. 

“No. Of course not!” Lizzie frowned at Hope.

“Well, you did admit you aren’t good at keeping secrets..” Hope highlighted.

“Are you thinking of telling her about that crush so she’ll talk to you again and things will be back to normal? NOT gonna work, Shortcake!”

“I didn’t say that!” Hope denied strongly.

“By the way…” Lizzie remembered something earlier. “I thought I heard Landon complaining about the lack of sex recently during lunch. What was that all about?”

“Urghhh… Lizzie. Can you leave my sex life alone already?!” Hope face-palmed.

“I knew the hobbit must be bad in bed. Thank god Josie managed to save her garden from that.”

“Stop! It’s not that..”

“What is it then? Do you still feel tempted to wolf out after sex with him?” Lizzie still would not leave it. Sebastian won’t arrive until after Dr Saltzman checked on the girls in another hour.

“It’s just…I keep having these thoughts at the back of my head everytime I’m intimate with him.. and it just sticks and ruins my mood?”

“Thoughts of?”

“I don’t know. Maybe Josie…”

“JOSIE?! You think of my sister while having sex with Landon?!”

“No, Lizzie! Maybe the guilt. Ever since I saw Josie’s look of hurt when she heard us talking in the old mill, that image is stuck in my head and I don’t really have the mood when I’m doing it with Landon.”

“Really? I can’t believe my sister is your subconscious cockblocker!” Lizzie exclaimed, almost laughing. “Is there a spell you can cast to block out my sister in your mind?”

“No such spell, Lizzie. Besides I tried getting drunk and it was worse because the image is even clearer.”

“Oh my god! Clear enough for you to see Landon as Josie during sex?”

Hope responded without a word of denial but Lizzie did get a pillow thrown at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the nice comments! I'll try to update once or twice a week, that is, if there's no writer's block..


	3. Perfect Weekend?

“Thanks for the perfect weekend, Aunt Bonnie.” Josie hugged her mentor for a long while before saying goodbye.

“My pleasure, Josie. I would love for you and Lizzie to visit more often, alright?” Bonnie demanded as she released the hug.

“Will do. Meantime, I will get this faulty music box back to the shop in exchange for a new one. I’ll have it delivered to you as soon as possible.” Josie promised.

“Please! You don’t have to bring gifts whenever you visit.” Bonnie held the shoulders of the brunette teenager proudly. “Your company is already a gift to me. I missed teaching you spells and I’m so proud of your witchcraft skills now.”

Josie leaned in to hug her favourite witch aunt. “I love you, Aunt Bonnie.”

And she meant it. Her weekend stay was so witchcraft-sharing fruitful she wished she could stay longer if not for school…and a secret mission she had set for herself. She felt a hint of guilt as she left Bonnie Bennett to head back to Mystic Falls. Hopefully, her aunt Bonnie would not find out that the music box accident was no accident.

When Josie reached Salvatore boarding school, it was almost midnight. The siphon quietly headed up to her room, hoping her sister was asleep already. She noticed the room lights were on as she crooked the door open and noted thankfully that Lizzie was asleep. She guessed her sister must have waited up for her and fell asleep but what surprised her was that it was not just Lizzie but someone else in the room as well. And lying on her bed?! Josie took a double-take and was sure it was Hope sleeping in her bed. She wondered why the tribrid was sleeping in her bed? It was obvious the two girls fell asleep without intent because they were both not in their PJs but in their casual clothes and the blankets were not covering them. Hope looked so surreal sleeping comfortably on her bed. She could see the tribrid almost smiling in her sleep and for a moment felt her heart flutter a little at how beautiful the auburn-haired girl looked in her bed. Who would have thought? Hope Mikaelson sleeping in her bed?! The last time Hope was on her bed, she was eating ice cream with Lizzie and her. A night she would have cherished if things had not gone painfully sad for her two days later. 

Josie chased those thoughts away and decided not to wake them up as she needed to do something first. She headed quietly into the empty kitchen and took out the music box. Placing the box on the countertop, Josie slowly open the clasp carefully. The music played but Josie quickly disabled it. Inside the box, she used a mini screw-driver to open the lid below the figurine of the music box. Under the lid, was a tiny vial containing Bonnie’s blood. The sharp clasp mechanism secretly installed worked well as it suctioned enough blood without Bonnie feeling that much blood was drawn. Paying Wade, the gadget nerd to make this was well worth it. Josie took out the vial carefully to place it in a small box and placed it in the fridge. Laying her hand on the countertop, she siphoned some magic and casted a cloaking spell on the box containing the vial.

When Josie got back to her room, her attempt to stay quiet and get her PJs out of her drawer was useless when Hope heard her and woke up.

“Hey…” the tribrid greeted her softly.

“Hey..” Josie greeted back softly too, both trying not to wake Lizzie up.

Hope walked up closer to Josie so they could hear each other better in their soft tones. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sleep in your bed. Lizzie and I were waiting up for you.”

“You didn’t have to wait up for me.” Josie whispered back.

“We wanted to welcome you back and tell you about what we planned for the three of us next week.” Hope shrugged.

“What is it?”

“A girls-only weekend spa?”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, the boys will be out on a road trip to Kaleb’s hometown that weekend so it’s just us girls. Spending quality time together?”

“Even Sebastian is going with the boys?”

“Yeah. Lizzie’s pretty convincing..”

“I don’t know.. I may have plans.” Josie shook her head lightly. She had her own secret mission planned out before that weekend.

“Josie…” Hope was looking at her with those soft eyes again. Damn it, she hated when Hope did that. She hated how…. gay Hope looked. It did not help when Hope reached out to hold her hand as well. “I know you have been avoiding us, mostly me and I understand. But it would be nice if we could close the gap a little with this trip?”

“I-“ Josie was shaking her head again.

“Please, Jo…” It was Lizzie who was awake now and pleading with a pout. “I miss outings with my sister. So much so we already paid for this non-refundable spa treatment. It’s gonna be fun, I promised!”

Josie sighed tiredly. “Fine.”

====

The weekdays passed quickly. Surprisingly, Josie was feeling slightly better because Lizzie’s attention was all on her nowadays. She wondered if her sister got bored of Sebastian already. She loved that Lizzie and her were back to comfy arm-linking sisters again. She was still a little distant from Hope and Landon even though the couple were less lovey-dovey these days. Above all, it was all fine because she realized she had not played with black magic for days already. Unfortunately, that did not last long. That Friday the boys were preparing to leave for their road trip, Josie had to bump into Landon in the kitchen.

“Hey..” He greeted in that familiar gentle voice. “How are you doing?”

“I ah..I’m ok..” Josie replied as she poured herself a cup of coffee without looking at him.

“So, erm…are you looking forward to the spa trip?” Landon started the small talk.

“Not really. I didn’t have much of a choice when Lizzie and Hope insisted on it and had already paid for everything.” Josie shrugged.

“You do know they’re doing all this for you, right?” Landon added. “They are worried about you.”

Somehow, Josie was offended by that remark. She didn’t ask for their concern. They could easily just leave her alone and she would be fine. But she could pretty much sense Landon did not like the fact that Lizzie and Hope were doing this trip for her. That Hope was going to spend the weekend without him.

“You don’t seem excited about your own road trip too?” Josie asked instead.

Landon shook his head at Josie. “Why do you say that?”

“Because it’s obvious? No Hope for your weekend?”

It felt like slap for that half-truth. Landon was indeed mad he already lost much of his Hope time last weekend to Lizzie and now this weekend he was pushed again by Hope to go on this road trip with the boys. But the other part of him still obliged because he did feel the guilt of breaking Josie’s heart weeks ago and that Josie at least deserved some rest and relax bond time with the girls.

“Jo…”

“You don’t get to call me that anymore.” Josie snapped.

“You’re still mad at me, fine!” Landon let out. “Stay mad at me all you want. But staying mad at Hope and making her worry over you for weeks when she didn’t even do anything wrong is just not fair to her.”

“You mean it’s not fair to YOU. Because all this is standing between your relationship with Hope?” Josie rebuked.

Landon pursed his lips in control of his own frustration. He hated that snarky Josie was right and he was really close to admitting it. But he calmed himself and said “You know, despite everything, I still actually care about you, Jo..”

“DON’T…” Josie held her hands tight around the edges of countertop, her anger unwittingly rising as she let out loud. “…CALL ME JO!!!”

And then everything went berserk. The plates, pots and pans in the kitchen started flying and smashing against the walls. Knives flying dangerously everywhere as well. Landon quickly ducked and raced out of the kitchen. Josie was out of control and there was nothing he could do.

=====

Hope walked into the kitchen to find Lizzie and Alaric cleaning up the kitchen.

“What happened?” The tribrid asked, taking note of the huge mess in the kitchen.

“Josie happened.” Lizzie reported. “My sister has officially taken over some of my costly episode habits.”

“What made her do this?” Hope asked as she helped clean up the room with some hand-waved magic.

“Do you think we should send her to therapy as well?” Alaric asked Lizzie in concern. “I’m worried she’s getting worse.” The father also remembering that his older daughter had likely also casted that arm-cracking spell on that boy, Ethan.

“Worse? Dad, Josie’s just recovering from heart break. That’s why Hope and I are planning this spa treat for her. She’s gonna be fine.” Lizzie told her dad.

“I thought she was fine. Last few days she seemed to be in a better mood.” Hope noted to the two. “Where is she now?”

“She’s in our room, after reporting to us what she did here. She was mad at herself and was pretty messed up so we told her to rest up.” Lizzie added. “We don’t really know what caused her outburst but Pedro told me he saw Landon running out of the kitchen earlier when the commotion happened.”

“Landon?” Hope wondered aloud. “But he left with the boys already.”

“And he didn’t tell you about this before he left?” Lizzie asked.

“No. He left in a huff. I assumed he was just moody over the fact that I sent him away for the weekend. Are you sure Pedro saw right?” Hope checked.

“The kid doesn’t lie, Hope. And the only person who could have riled Josie up, well, besides you is your heart-breaker boyfriend.” Lizzie affirmed as she cleared the last bit of mess in the kitchen.

======

Josie chanted the black magic spell which overwhelmed her in a good way. Her emotions were calmer and she felt that strange sense of satisfaction. The satisfaction in pissing Landon off and not regretting her actions in destroying the kitchen earlier.

After feeling much better and making sure the physical side effects did not take over, Josie moved to the hour glass she kept in her drawer to release her ill effects.

Not long later, Lizzie arrived back in their room.

“Hey, please tell me you’re still in the mood for our spa date tomorrow.” Lizzie asked her sister. “It will really help you, Jo.”

“I’m still up for it, Lizzie.” Josie replied and got a comforting sisterly hug in return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be changing up the story a little from what I posted on my tumblr. Don't worry, it's a spicier version.


	4. Spa Date

Landon felt his phone ringing in his pocket and checked it. It was the girlfriend. Thankfully, the boys had stopped by a rest stop for now and he could excuse himself for a while to take the call. A part of him was a little reluctant to pick up the phone because Hope might not be in a good mood if she found out he had something to do with Josie’s incident. But he already missed her voice so he decided to take the call.

“Hey…” he greeted.

“What did you say to Josie, Landon?” Hope sure did not waste words.

“Wow, no hello?” Landon asked sarcastically.

“I told you not to talk to her yet. She’s still hurting! She’s sensitive!”

“All I did… was call her JO and she freaked out!”

Hope face-palmed. “You called her Jo? Like when you were dating her? Did I not say she’s sensitive?”

“I called her Jo before we started dating, Hope!”

“Why do I feel like it’s not just that. That there’s something else you must have said that triggered her?”

“You know what? I’m sick of this. I’m sick of you always taking her side. Always putting her feelings first over mine!” Landon ranted out loud.

“Because we hurt her! Do you not feel any guilt at all? You dumped her the same night you took me back!”

“FINE! It’s all my fault, alright? Everything from the day I fell in love with you to the day I forgot everything about you to the day I started dating Josie and leaving her. So, tell me how long are you gonna punish me for that, Hope? How long?!”

Hope could not counter this time. She realized she was indeed punishing Landon without knowing it. She was at fault mostly. Like Lizzie said, she jumped into that pit and caused this clusterfuck.

“You’re right. It’s my fault since I started it all.” Hope said after a long pause. “I shouldn’t have taken you back so soon. We should have waited. Maybe we should take a step back. Like…like take a break.”

“What do you mean? Things already happened. We can’t undo the damage!” Landon then calmed his voice down as he suggested. “Listen, Hope. We can’t help Josie if we are always in her face. I can’t always keep my hands off my girlfriend whenever Josie’s around. I love you and I wanna do this right. I don’t want Josie hurt too so… I was thinking.. maybe we should leave the school, leave mystic falls. I’ll find a job and we could rent a place. It’ll be good for us. For all of us.”

Hope was shaking her head. “But….but this place is my home. Like my 2nd home, Landon.”

“Then we’ll go to New Orleans. Your first home.” Landon suggested. He noticed the boys were looking for him now to hit the road again. “Just….just think about it, ok? I gotta go. The boys are chasing me.”

“Lan-“ Hope heard the line cut off before she could say further.

=====

Hope was waiting for the twins for their spa date in the garage when she heard footsteps approaching. It was Josie…. without Lizzie.

“Lizzie will be down in a minute. She’s trying to decide on a casual dress or gym wear.” Josie reported. “If I stay longer with her, she’ll ask for more opinions and we’ll be late for the spa session so I told her I’ll wait for her here instead.”

“Are you alright? I heard what happened yesterday.” Hope asked in concern.

“I’m fine.” Josie replied.

“Did Landon say anything to make you mad? You can tell me.” Hope asked.

Josie just shook her head. “Let’s just wait in the car.”

Hope could sense Josie was still not ready to talk as usual. After that fight with Landon on the phone, which did not put Hope in a better mood, she now had to face a hostile Josie again.

Lizzie came running down after that and the girls were then off to a spa resort in Mystic Falls.

Upon reaching the spa resort, the girls were led to a nice room with a jacuzzi tub. It was going to be a 3-hour full body treatment session. Their three therapists advised the girls to take off their clothes and lie on their individual massage beds face down before they start the session. The girls nodded and their therapists left the room for them to change out. Lizzie wasted no time and took off her clothes swiftly and taking the middle bed to lie on. Hope shrugged and follow suit. This was nothing new to her since she stripped her clothes pretty quickly too when she needed to shift. But as Hope took off her clothes, she noticed that Josie was staring at her. The brunette had not moved yet to remove any of her own clothes. Hope paused and was looking back at Josie who then realized she was gaping at the tribrid like a perv. Josie quickly turned around to take off her clothes. What was wrong with her? Josie thought to herself. It was not like her first time seeing girls naked. She saw it all the time in the dorm bathrooms. But not Hope Mikaelson. She had not seen Hope like this. Damn, sexy curvaceous Hope Mikaelson! When Josie was finally clothes-free and turned around to head to her bed, she found naked Hope was still standing at the same place, staring at her. The two girls blinked at each other for an awkward moment but fortunately they heard their therapists returning, and quickly moved to lie on their individual massage beds.

It was a quiet and relaxing body massage for the next hour or so until their therapists announced that the girls needed to soak in the jacuzzi tub for half an hour before the therapists returned for phase two of the session. Josie and Hope acknowledged it as the therapists left the room.

“Lizzie.” Hope called out when she noticed that the blonde was fast asleep.

“Don’t wake her. When she’s forced to wake up, she’ll be so moody it’ll just ruin her whole spa experience.” Josie advised as she got out of her bed to head to the jacuzzi tub. “Not the first time she falls deep asleep when she’s this happily relaxed. Let her wake up herself and join us later.”

“Ok..” Hope took the advice and joined Josie at the jacuzzi tub. The brunette had immersed herself in the tub already with her eyes closed, resting her head at the edge.

Hope sat awkwardly no more than two feet away from Josie in the tub, stealing shameless glances at the brunette’s perfect body. The tub was big enough to fit four people. When she saw naked Josie earlier, she had no idea it had some kind of stirring effect on her. Now she was pretty sure she did dream of making love to Josie while she was having drunk sex. Hope tried to shake her thoughts away. This spa trip was for them to make peace, not make love. Stop thinking, Hope!

“Look…” The tribrid spoke in a low soft tone, trying again not to wake Lizzie up. “I don’t know what Landon said to you to make you mad yesterday.. but if it was anything insensitive, I apologize, ok?”

Josie opened her eyes and frowned at Hope. “Why should you apologize on his behalf?”

“I mean, I’m not sure if he apologized. He said he only called you Jo and it triggered you or something. I just…don’t want you to be upset, that’s all.”

“I don’t need him reminding me that this whole spa trip was made specially for me because everyone’s feeling guilty, ok? I’m here now. And when this is over, everyone can leave me alone coz I’m fine.” Josie stated, her voice straining not to be too loud to wake her sister.

She was right. Josie was still in a sensitive stage. Landon needed to just not talk to Josie at all for now. “I knew it was too soon somehow..” Hope sighed. “That Landon and I got back together right after your break-up.”

“I don’t care, Hope. I’m trying not to care anymore!”

“Do you… hate me?” Hope had expected this would happen but she needed to hear it from Josie herself.

But Josie paused for some time before admitting. “It’s just easier to hate.”

Ouch!

“And there’s no way I can undo this hate?” Hope asked, trying hard to hold in her hurt feelings.

Josie shook her head. When would Hope understand? Frustrated, the siphon moved closer and stared at the tribrid fiercely as she let out. “No, you can’t. The only way is for me to forever accept my second-rate status for almost everything in my life. From Ms Mystic Falls to Lizzie to Landon. Do you understand?”

Hope hated she was causing pain to this girl as she could see Josie trying to hold her tears in. That she had unwittingly become the girl’s biggest rival in all things important to Josie Saltzman so far. How can she fix this? Leave? As what Landon suggested? But not when Josie told her to stay, right? Or had she changed her mind now? She wouldn’t blame her though.

“Do you.. want me to leave for real this time?” Hope asked so softly only she could feel her own voice trembling a little.

She was still waiting for the dreadful answer from the girl who was just glaring at her with those angry eyes.

“Just say it and I’ll…“ Hope sighed but she was cut off when Josie suddenly cupped her face and crushed her lips on Hope’s.

Josie had no idea what pushed her to do that to Hope. Maybe she did it out of anger or vengeance against Landon. Or maybe that was her way to tell Hope to stay again. Or maybe she just wanted to kiss Hope Mikaelson once and for all before she leaves for her very risky mission and might never know how it would feel to kiss her first crush. Or maybe it was just sexy naked Hope driving her nuts! She expected Hope to push her away by now but the tribrid was so not doing that.

Hope was surprised by the kiss but it felt like something she had always wanted to do. Her desire and curiosity took over as she opened her mouth, inviting Josie’s tongue. She also found herself bravely pulling Josie’s body closer. Their bare bosoms against each other now and driving them wild with want. Kissing between ragged breaths and moans, Josie and Hope seemed to have forgotten everything else related to reality. Like, who was that blonde sleeping a few feet away in the same room? And who was Landon?

Then the phone rang. It was Lizzie’s phone which finally woke the blonde up. And Hope and Josie immediately broke their kiss and moved two feet away from each other as they were earlier.

Lizzie dragged herself off the bed and took her phone out of her bag. ““Hello? Wait! Slow down, Dad.”

Hope and Josie looked on as Lizzie paced around the room in her naked form, listening to her phone.

“Alright, we’ll be right there!” Lizzie finally told her father on the phone. She then looked at Hope and Josie and announced with her classic eye roll. “As much as I want to dip in that tub too, another annoying new monster is here to ruin my spa day now.”

=====

As Lizzie drove back to Salvatore, she let Josie and Hope in on the latest monster. “It’s a cupid, according to dad. This cupid’s making every teenager in Mystic Falls drunk with some kind of love or lust spell and it’s pissing off some reluctant parties as well. Adults aren’t affected though. He said almost every student in the school are kissing each other without any control now. It’s weird, the three of us aren’t randomly kissing anyone though.”

Hope and Josie could only exchange worried looks at each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's just take the next chapter as the 3rd version of my monster cupid series ;)


	5. The Helpful Cupid

“Alright, girls. Come with me.” Alaric announced as soon as his daughters and Hope arrived back in the school. They could see some teenagers making out with each other as they passed by the common room and hallways. Some not taking the kiss well and pushing or slapping the other for making that move.

They reached the headmaster’s office where Dorian was already there immersed in some books. The librarian looked up to see the three girls and Alaric.

“They don’t seem affected. Maybe it did not go as far as the Mystic Falls spa resort.” Dorian noted aloud.

Hope and Josie exchanged a look again.

“Oh.. there were some couples kissing just outside the spa when we got out.” Lizzie remembered.

Lizzie was saving Hope and Josie from explaining, without even knowing it. Lucky them.

“But yeah, I don’t feel affected though.” Lizzie admitted.

“How about Hope or Josie?” Alaric asked the two other girls. “Do you both feel affected?”

Not so lucky them. The two girls however, were in control enough to shake their heads in denial.

“Alright, here’s what I think..” Dorian quickly added. “It’s probably affecting teenagers who have hidden desires for another one. Those who do not have those desire for the person who kissed them does not reciprocate but does not mean they are not affected. They are still affected because I have seen one girl rejecting a boy’s kiss only to see her approaching another girl to kiss her…”

“Which is not a good thing because we are getting several sexual harassment complaints from students as well now. This love, or rather lust spell arrow is likely increasing their hormone level to a brave high and they are acting on it.” Alaric noted.

Josie wanted to slap herself internally. Now she knew what pushed her to kiss Hope. But it was also obvious Hope was affected. She stole another glance at the tribrid who looked back at her. Damn it! They could sense they still wanted each other badly.

“The only way to stop all this is for the only teenager not affected by all this to read out an incantation.” Alaric added.

“How do you know that?” Hope asked.

“Because the cupid told us himself.” Dorian answered. “We caught him near the Mystic Falls town hall. It was easy to spot him. Topless dude with wings and a magical looking bow and arrows. He’s down in the cell now.”

“What? Why did you call us to come back here then?!!” Lizzie complained out loud. “You already caught the monster! Let us enjoy our spa!”

“They needed to see if we’re affected or not affected.” Josie guessed and added. “So that they know who can stop this spell.”

“Josie’s right.” Dorian nodded.

“So quickly give us the incantation and we will cast it. It could be one of us.” Lizzie suggested.

“The monster told us the way to stop it but he is not giving us the incantation and who is ‘the unaffected hero with the golden arrow’ to use the incantation to stop this. We suspect that the hero is the one teenager shot with his golden arrow and who’s not affected by the lust spell at all.” Dorian explained. “I’m digging into these books now to find possible incantations while Alaric is making calls around Mystic Falls to find any unaffected teenagers.”

“Is there a reason why he aims his arrows at teenagers only?” Hope asked.

“Hormones?” Alaric and Dorian answered at the same time.

“That figures. Easier targets huh?” Hope rolled her eyes.

“You know, I’d like to think I’m the golden hero here.” Lizzie wondered aloud. “But I think my hormones are always on a high. Besides, who I desire isn’t in Mystic Falls so…”

“Who, Lizzie?” Alaric had to ask his daughter. “One of the boys on the road trip with Kaleb?”

“You know what? I should help find more possible “golden arrowed” candidates in the school since it may not be just the three of us when some of our objects of desire are all out of town. There are the asexuals out there too and you guys probably haven’t looked deep enough on the school grounds.” Lizzie quickly avoided her father’s question and excused herself out of the room.

“I’ll help you with the books, Dorian.” Josie offered.

“I’ll go speak to the cupid.” Hope offered. “Maybe I can get some clues out of him.”

“Well, good luck, Hope. Maybe you could charm him better than us.” Alaric shrugged.

Before she left the room, Hope and Josie exchanged another glance and this time they both nodded at each other.

=====

The cupid was a handsome blond teenage boy with golden tanned skin and very beautiful pair of wings. He did look like a godly angel. His bow and arrows were missing and she guessed Dorian and Alaric had probably kept it away.

“Hey there.” Hope greeted as she approached his cell.

The boy stood up with a friendly smile upon seeing Hope. “Hello there. My name is Eros, how may I address you?”

“Hope.”

“And how can I help you, Hope?”

“By giving me the spell to stop all this mess you’ve created.”

“Mess? But everyone’s in love!” the boy proclaimed as he observed Hope closer. “I can see you have gotten what you wanted. I helped you.”

“Helped? What you have done is cause more chaos! We have more sexual harassment cases now thanks to you. If we don’t stop this, there’s gonna be more!”

“I don’t know what do you mean by that but what I have done is help turn hidden desires into reality. Everyone should thank me for that. What they have not been able to express so far is finally out there for their object of desire to see!”

“But some of us are seeing other people!”

“Then the other must know your true feelings. It is only fair.”

“Making people lust for others like this is not helping at all.”

“Lust? My arrows are made with the pure intent of love. Only for the hidden desires of love. If one feels the need to copulate with their object of desire, it is naturally out of intense love for that person. Do not mistaken it for lust.” The cupid stated firmly.

Hope took in his words and could feel all the true revelations of her emotions but what the cupid could not understand was her actions of betrayal caused by his spell. Tear ran down her cheek before she knew it.

“Oh dear…you…you must be torn between two lovers, are you?” Eros asked, genuinely concerned.

Hope wiped the tear and shook her head in denial.

“Hope…” Eros reached his hand out through the bars. “I can help you. I can help you see your one true love.”

Hope shook her head again. “Whatever it is, it will only bring pain.”

“Please let me help you.”

“You can only help by giving me the incantation and telling me who should cast it!”

“Sigh.. If I let you stop it, I would be gone from this world and I can’t continue to spread love.” Eros revealed sadly.

“Forget it then.” Hope turned around. Talking to Eros the cupid only helped in revealing more of her own hidden feelings for someone she was not dating rather than the way to end this spell for everyone. “We shall find the answers ourselves then.”

“Wait!” The cupid realized he was so curious about where the girl’s true love lies than the fate of his own life. He wanted to help her so badly to find the answer. So, he compromised. “If you let me see your mind and heart, I will give you the incantation but not the hero shot with the golden arrow. That, I will leave you to find the person yourself.”

Hope thought that was a good enough compromise. She found a pen and paper and offered it to the cupid. “Fine. I need you to write down the incantation first. How can I be sure if you don’t give me the spell after that?”

“I’ll write half the incantation. The other half I will give it through your mind after I have accessed your mind and heart.” He offered.

Hope agreed and after he had written some Latin words on the sheet of paper, he passed the paper to Hope. He then asked to connect via the tribrid’s temple and the middle of her chest and Hope obliged.

“Trust me, Hope.” The cupid advised as he reached out to her through the cell bars. “It can help clear your mind and emotions so that you are sure of how you feel about the two of them. You can make a decisive choice then.”

As his fingertips connected, everything flowed inside her like a rush. Memories mostly. Hidden emotions long forgotten. All overwhelming her. And then when it was over, she heard the remaining incantation Eros had promised implanted in her memory. 

The cupid then smiled kindly at Hope. “You’re an interesting being, Hope. A selfless hero who had lost loved ones and gone through more emotional pain than any physical pain you encounter in your monster-fighting life. You have experienced betrayal, which makes you a careful person when falling in love so you chose to love the nice, safe one. But until lately you didn’t realize you have been carelessly falling in love with someone else. Do note that it is only natural to fall for another when that person shares such fond yet complex history with you. It is so fascinating to see the relationship between the three of you. The thing is you need to know there is a difference between being in love and loving someone. So, Hope, I have helped you see who’s who. Do you want to love or be in love? Your choice.”

“She kissed me first. Does this mean she feels..” Hope asked carefully. “the same way?”

Eros nodded. “It is after all, the arrow of LO-“

”I get it!” Hope sighed out loud. She hated how transparent she was to a stranger now. The way he had dissected her love life so accurately. He did manage to make her see clearer about how she felt about Josie and Landon, except she knew she was not ready to make choices.

“Well thanks for this, Eros.” Hope held up the incantation note and decided to take her leave now. “Excuse me while I go find the person to cast this now.”

“Goodbye, Hope. Until we meet again….in another world or life perhaps.” The cupid waved goodbye to the tribrid.

As Hope walked back to the headmaster’s office, she noticed Lizzie interviewing a witch in the hallway. And somehow Lizzie looked different. Like she was glowing while others looked normal. Lizzie’s blond locks were bright and golden. She looked like a saint! Then it hit her and Hope realized it. The hero hit with the Golden Arrow! That connection with the cupid might had given her the ability to see more now.

Hope walked over to Lizzie and pulled the blonde with her. “Let’s go, Lizzie. I found the incantation and the hero to cast it.”

=====

After casting the incantation given by Hope, Lizzie felt a strong sense of heroism. She wanted to check if her spell worked so she ran out of the office to check if students were still kissing each other. Alaric and Dorian ran out as well, heading toward the cell where the cupid was held.

To be honest, they did not need to go out to check because Hope and Josie knew Lizzie’s spell worked. They could feel the reality hitting hard at them. What they did earlier at the spa was most likely caused by the cupid spell.

Hope opened her mouth to speak first but Josie beat her to it.

“Not another apology from you, Hope. I get that it was all just a spell and I don’t need you telling me what happened between us should not have happened and we should forget it all. Don’t worry. I’m well-aware.” Josie stood up and prepared to leave when Hope stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

“It still doesn’t erase the fact that we were doing all that because of our hidden desires.” Hope reminded.

“Hidden lust, you mean?” Josie added.

“It’s an arrow of love. Not lust. At least when the cupid told me that, I….” Hope revealed. “I know he was telling the truth.”

“What….what do you mean?” Josie looked at Hope, confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY HOSIE NEW YEAR!!


	6. Typical J.S.

Josie tossed and turned all night in her bed. Hope’s words kept repeating in her head. What did she mean she believed the cupid? That she knew she was under a love but not lust spell that caused her to return her kisses? Why did the tribrid correct her and tell her it was not lust? What was the reason?

“fuckkk…” Josie cursed into her pillow. She needed answers. She did not get to continue the conversation with Hope because Lizzie had returned. Did she kiss Hope because she was secretly in love with the tribrid? That was true years ago when she crushed on her but after all the drama that happened between them, how could she? She hated her! Or it was more than hate? That thin line between love and hate and she had crossed that fine line past hate into love? Fuckin Cupid!! Must he push her feelings out just when she was naked with Hope in a tub?!

====

Hope could not sleep well. Her phone was switched off because she did not want to accept any calls, particularly from Landon. She could avoid him for now but come tomorrow, she would have to face him. If only avoiding thoughts of Josie was that easy. That cupid spell might have been lifted but she was still thinking about their hot tub kiss. Thinking about her now unhidden feelings for the brunette. She used to wonder if her feelings for Josie was more of empathy but Eros had shown her otherwise. She was already developing deeper feelings for the brunette and that kiss just basically confirmed they were so not empathetic feelings.

Hope jolted out of her thoughts when she heard knocking on her door. It was 2am in the morning. Who the fuck…? Hope opened the door only to see the person who had been in her mind all day.

“Jo…sie.” Hope muttered in surprise.

“You need to explain, Hope.” Josie demanded. “What do you mean when you said you believed the cupid… about the love arrow?”

“Ermm…you wanna come in first?” Hope offered and Josie hesitated for a bit before she let herself into Hope’s room.

The two girls stood two feet apart facing each other. Josie was waiting for Hope’s explanation but the slightly nervous looking auburn-haired girl could not seem to get any words out.

“Well?” Josie probed.

“I-I meant…” Hope stuttered. “It was not lust…to me. Don't you feel.. the same too?”

“Are you even sure? I kissed you first.”

“And I wouldn’t have kissed you back if you weren’t my object of…” Hope explained. “Look, I know you didn’t just kiss me because you were just lusting after me… ”

“You were naked, Hope..”

“Ok, maybe things got a little heated because we were both naked. But the cupid spell only brought out hidden desires of love from the start, not lust. I mean, it could have brought out those forgotten crush feelings we had for each other years ago as well.”

“We?”

Shit! Hope scolded herself silently as she just let that out. She finally admitted “I…had a crush on you when…well, just before you burnt your crush note in my room. You had been smiling a lot at me that time… and I…I liked it. I liked you a lot. It sent flutters in me…”

Josie could only stare at Hope in surprise. Hope fuckin Mikaelson had a crush on her the same time she had on her?! Why didn’t she say so earlier when she made her own crush confession on Hope? Hope looked flattered then but she could have said something? Right, because of Landon. Fuck. Now she was starting to see things clearer. The way Hope had been looking at her. That so gay dreamy eyes. She was not overthinking about the tribrid’s soft eyes.

“Please say something?” Hope asked, looking worried at Josie’s silent response.

“I-I…” Josie could not find the right words and ended up blurting out. “I can’t think straight and just wanna kiss you again.”

The tribrid drew a smile which could only mean she wanted it too.

When Hope tipped her toes and cupped the taller girl’s nape, Josie took the cue as she met Hope’s lips halfway. They kissed fervently. It felt like when they were under that cupid spell again. The desire was still mutually high. Hope could feel Josie’s arms wrapped around her waist, leading her to the bed and Hope was happy to lie on her bed, pulling Josie along. They broke their kiss a little as Hope landed her back on the bed but Josie wasted no time in kissing the tribrid’s neck. Hope let out a moan of pleasure at Josie’s seductive kisses down her neck. This was like a dream come true. Hope had thought about this since…since…. Oh no… Hope opened her eyes to see one of her paintings in her room. The portrait of Landon that was staring back at her.

“Jo….Josie..” Hope muttered. “We…we need to talk..about..Lan-”

Josie moved her kisses to the tribrid’s lips now. “No talking, Hope.” She kissed her deeply and Hope fell back into passionate oblivion. When Josie started laying tender kisses along her jawline, Hope wished the brunette would kiss her like this forever. She wondered how often she would get to enjoy all these passionate kisses from Josie. She was feeling so much for this girl, just this girl alone. She wanted to look at her. Cupping Josie’s face, Hope gently pulled the girl away from her kisses to look at her tenderly. She wanted to see Josie, as much as possible without having to think about consequences.

“You’re so beautiful…and I feel so much for you..” Hope expressed softly as she coerced herself to tell Josie what she hated to say but had to. “..but I can’t do this until I..I..”

Josie pulled back as she shook her head. “No you won’t, Hope. I know, once he walks back into the gates of this school first thing tomorrow, you’ll just fall back into his arms. Just like you did when he came back the last time.”

Hope shook her head, wanting to deny that but could not find the words to assure Josie that she mattered so much to her. All because she realized all this guilt she had been bearing had shifted on to Landon now. Hope felt her heart ache for Josie and tears filled her eyes. She shallowed hard as her tears rolled down inevitably. Hope’s tears were enough to drive Josie to tear up as well and the brunette hated this painful feeling coming back again.

Josie wiped her tears as she got off the bed and made her way to the door.

“Don’t worry, he’ll never know.” Josie announced before she left Hope’s room.

The tribrid could only bury her tear-soaked face in her hands, hating herself. 

=====

“Hope..”

She could hear his familiar voice and opened her very tired eyes to see Landon smiling down at her.

“Crap…what time is it already?” Hope grunted as she took in the bright sunlight in her room.

“A little before noon? You must have slept really late last night. Are you alright?” Landon asked.

“I’m fine.. I…” She remembered Josie last night. “I had a rough night.”

“Was it a rough night because you were missing me?” Landon laid light kiss on his girlfriend’s lips.

Hope did not kiss back. Could not kiss back. “We need to talk, Landon.”

“I know.. I know. Did you think about my proposal? Have you come to a decision?”

“What proposal?” Hope frowned in confusion.

“About us moving away from here?” Landon reminded.

“Fuck..” Hope muttered as she totally discarded any thoughts of it because she was very distracted by Josie.

“You didn’t think about it I guess.”

“We had a new monster yesterday, Landon.” Hope gave that excuse.

“So I heard.. and it was a cupid?” Landon then teased. “Did it make you kiss anyone?”

Hope widened her eyes at the phoenix, as if she had been caught in the act. But Landon mistook it for the girlfriend being mad at him for teasing. 

“Sorry.” He leaned in to kiss her again. “I’ll let you wash up and meet you for lunch, ok?”

After Landon left her room, Hope dropped back into her bed. She wished she could stay in bed all day and avoid everyone….except maybe Josie.

====

Hope dragged herself to the dining area where she expected Landon was waiting. She saw him but he was not alone. In fact, he seemed to be talking to Lizzie and it did not look good. Hope approached closer and finally got a gist of their heated conversation.

“It’s all your fault! You broke her heart!” Lizzie accused.

“It’s been more than a month since we broke up, Lizzie! How would I know she is still this mad?” Landon argued back.

“Guys! Can you both stop it already?” Hope sighed tiredly. “All Josie needs is peace and quiet, not us fighting.”

“Hope!” Lizzie turned to the tribrid. “Did you know about this? That Josie left!”

“WHAT?!” Hope exclaimed.

“She left me a goodbye note!” Lizzie was crying now. “This morning I woke up to find the note on her bed!”

“WHERE DID SHE GO, LIZZIE?!” Hope held the taller blonde’s shoulders firmly.

“A place I don’t think we can’t get to her.” Lizzie sobbed.

“I don’t understand.. WHERE?!” Hope asked again.

“To the prison world, Hope. Josie took the only ticket there. The ascendant dad kept in his office is gone.” Lizzie informed.

Hope felt her heart sank. Josie did not leave because of Landon. She left because of her.

“Hope, you’re here.” Alaric called out from the back. “Head to my office now, all three of you. We need to figure out a way to get Josie back from that dangerous world.”

“What do you mean by dangerous, Dr Saltzman?” Hope asked anxiously as they headed toward his office.

“It means she has a murderous sociopath to deal with alone in that world. Her infamous family serial killer uncle.” Alaric answered.

“But why would she wanna go there?” Hope asked, thinking if Josie was running away from heartbreak, she could have flown to Europe to be with Caroline or something instead of that world, right?

“To save me, Hope.” Lizzie answered. “Or to save both of us from the merge. She thinks our crazy uncle would have answers to a way to stop the merge so that Jo and I don’t have to kill each other when we turn 22.”

Of course, Josie would do something like this. Like how she travelled alone to find Freya in New Orleans to secure the spell to blast everyone’s memories back. Hope sighed because Josie being like this was almost like what she would do as well.

“Come into the office and I’ll tell you what I know about this prison world and Kai Parker.” Alaric announced as he led Lizzie, Hope and Landon into his office.

After Alaric told them everything he knew about the prison world and what Kai Parker was capable of, Hope found herself almost hyperventilating with worry. Why would Josie take on such a deadly mission? Or getting herself stuck in that world for god knows how long? Did she plan on losing her life? Whatever the outcome she did it so that Lizzie could live? This was so fuckin typical Josie Saltzman!

“We need to get her out of there! I don’t care what it takes!” Hope announced in anger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, this is how I foresee Josie will go into the prison world, knowing that Kai's episode comes after cupid episode. But that's a long shot I think. LOL!


	7. Oldest trick in the book

Josie approached the living room carefully. Everything looked newly renovated. But of course, it was the year 2018 when the Salvatore Boarding School was newly established and there was no one in that world but her mad uncle in the prison world.

“Hello?” Josie called out. No answer. She wondered if her uncle lived here at all. But according to Bonnie, he was rather familiar with the Salvatore residence since he fought with Bonnie and Damon Salvatore in that house quite a bit.

The living room seemed untouched so Josie moved to the upper floors where the dorm rooms were located. Most of the rooms were empty without much furniture as well. So, Josie moved up to the top floor where her room was. She remembered her parents setting up the top floor dorm rooms first before the other floors. She was about to turn to the left where Lizzie and her room was but took a few steps to the right where Hope’s room was. In that year, Hope obviously had not moved in yet but she was curious to see that room where just last night she had made out with the tribrid and left in tears. Looking at the room now which was empty except for a bed, she hated that she was starting to miss Hope already. At least she left with memories of their sweet passionate kisses. Knowing Hope would go back to Landon, Josie had left her room with this new-found heart break and decided to jump right into her secret mission in finding her uncle and getting answers. She knew the risks but whether she got out dead or alive, it was a win-win situation for her and Lizzie. If she died, Lizzie would survive the merge. If she was alive and managed to get the answers she wanted, she could get back to her world with the ascendant and Bonnie’s blood and reunite with her family.

Josie closed the door to Hope’s room and headed towards her room now. Upon reaching her room she was delighted to see that it was fully furnished. Her bed and wardrobe were slightly smaller though but that was expected because she was only 4 or 5 then. Josie took off her backpack and started unpacking it. There were two important things she needed to cloak immediately. The ascendant and Bonnie’s vial of blood.

=====

“I can’t believe I fell for the oldest trick in the book!” Bonnie Bennett forehead-palmed herself as she paced in Alaric’s office where she also met Hope, Lizzie and Landon. “That music box! I know Josie is smart but outsmarting me? I don’t know whether I wanna kick her ass or give her a big fat proud kiss for that!”

“I’m sorry, Bonnie. For what Josie did. But you and I both know well that we need to get her out of there as soon as possible.” Alaric apologized again after getting the witch down to Salvatore for this Josie situation now.

“I know, Ric.” Bonnie nodded. “There is one way but it would transport the person into the present time prison world and not the one Josie sent herself into. Then the person had to cast another spell to open the portal to the 2018 world. Of course, all this would need my blood and Lizzie to create a new ascendant.”

“Ok, Let’s do that then, Aunt Bonnie.” Lizzie encouraged.

“It’ll take weeks though.” Bonnie highlighted.

“Wait a minute? You’re telling me it will take weeks for Lizzie to build another ascendant for us to get to that world?” Hope checked again.

“I’m afraid so, Hope. Hmm, I can see that very annoyed Mikaelson trait there… or you must care a hell lot for Josie.” Bonnie observed with a raised brow. “Anyway, if both Josie and Lizzie made the ascendant, it would definitely be way faster but we are obviously a twin short now.”

“I’m sorry, Ms Bennett.” Hope apologized. “I just don’t know how long Josie can survive in there against someone who’s years older and certainly more powerful than her.” 

“Josie’s a smart girl. I believe she can survive Kai. Besides, in that world, you can’t die.” Bonnie added. “I’m only mad I fell for her trick in getting my blood. If only I knew she had planned all this from the beginning, I would have tried to stop her.”

“Wait, so Josie can’t die in there?” Hope asked.

“Nope.” Bonnie shook her head. “That world is on a time loop. You just can’t die. But imagine this, you’re alone in that world or just fighting that one crazy person and not being able to beat him and you wanna just die and give up but you can’t? One might just go insane and that’s worse.”

“But Josie could just easily get back here as long as she has the ascendant and your blood, right?” Lizzie asked. “I mean, she could escape that way if Kai tries to kill her?”

“I’m not sure if she has enough of my blood. She only managed to get a very small prick of blood from my finger.” Bonnie highlighted. “Also, we can’t be sure if Kai would manage to get the ascendant and my blood from her to get out here first, leaving Josie stuck there. Oh, and Kai may have already found the ascendant from the prison world too if he had cracked that uncloaking spell I placed. It’s a duplicate of this world so there are two ascendants in that world now. Josie’s only advantage now is the possession of my blood….IF she still has it.”

“Ok, whatever it is, we need to get my sister out asap. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to create the ascendant as quickly as possible.” Lizzie assured everyone in the room.

“There’s one more thing.” Bonnie added solemnly. “I’m really sorry but I’m not going in there. I hate to say this but I have retired from all these crazy adventures and especially ones that are related to the prison world. Trust me, as much as I wanna kill Kai Parker, he can’t be killed in there and that might annoy me to death, literally. I will, however, provide my blood and the incantations needed for whoever’s going into this mission.”

“I’ll go.” Hope volunteered immediately.

“What?! No!” Landon protested. “You need to stop doing this already, Hope. First Malivore, now this?”

“I won’t die, Landon!” Hope reminded.

“NO, I’ll go.” Landon offered. “She probably left because of me. I should be the one going in.”

“Oh no thanks, Hobbit. You’ll only make things worse. She hates seeing your face so you should just STAY AWAY!” Lizzie scolded the phoenix.

“Ermmm…” Bonnie silently guessed this must be the boy who broke Josie’s heart. “I have to agree with Lizzie. It’s better that a witch goes in there.”

“Then it’s done! Hope and I will go in there!” Lizzie announced.

When the meeting was over and Lizzie quickly left with Bonnie to start the ascendant creation process, Landon and Alaric separately asked Hope to have a one to one talk. Hope decided to talk to Alaric first and told Landon she would meet him in his room later.

“Thanks for doing this, Hope.” Alaric thanked the tribrid. “But I have another favour to ask of you and I hate myself for asking.”

“Just say it, Ric.” Hope only called him RIc when she wanted him to be open with her, not just as her father figure or headmaster.

“I already feel like a horrible parent losing Josie to that world. Caroline is flying back at this moment and I know she won’t like the idea of Lizzie risking her life in there as well.” Alaric sighed. “I know it’s a world they all can’t die in but what if Kai defeats any one of you and if all of you are stuck there? I..I just don’t think I live with myself if that happens.”

“You want me to go in there without Lizzie.” Hope guessed out loud.

“You are the strongest supernatural here, Hope. Lizzie is confident but she isn’t as skilled as Josie and you in terms of, you know, the offensive magic. I will hate myself if I lose both my daughters. I will also hate it if I lose you, Hope. If I could go down there in place of you girls, I would do so in a beat but we all know the chances of success in that..”

“Say no more, Dr Saltzman.” Hope assured. “I’ll tell Lizzie I’m going alone. I promised I will bring Josie back safe and sound.”

“Hope, you know Lizzie will never agree to this.” Alaric shook his head lightly. “Let me talk to her. Maybe her mother will be able to convince her. I just needed to let you know about this first.”

Hope nodded in agreement. She was fine with Lizzie as a monster-kicking partner but she would prefer one twin be safe in the real world than two sisters stuck in the prison world. Also, a part of her wanted to so badly hug and kiss Josie when she eventually got to her, without the need for Lizzie’s disapproving eye. She missed Josie already and could not imagine she had to wait weeks to get to her.

After ending her conversation with Alaric, Hope braced herself for that other talk with Landon. She knew he would try his best to dissuade her from going on this prison world trip.

=====

Hope sat on the edge of Landon’s bed and shut her eyes as Landon rant on. 

“If Lizzie wants to do it, let her go alone! She’s her sister! Why should you get involved in their family matters?” Landon suggested.

“You talked like I don’t know them since I was 8!!” Hope stated. “And besides, it’s Josie we are talking about here! Are you telling me she doesn’t at least matter a bit to you?”

“YES! Josie matters to me but she fuckin hates me! And everyone seems to hate me getting involved in this crazy mission in any way.” Landon raised his hands in the air in annoyance. “So, why can’t my girlfriend not be involved too? OR, if they can send you and Lizzie in there, why can’t I go too? The more the….stronger?”

Hope buried her head in hands. She was frustrated. Irritated. She really did not like Landon being like this. She felt like she could not even breathe when she was just making no-brainer decisions, like saving a friend. Friend who mattered to her. A lot. 

Hope let out. “Landon, the last time I jumped, I didn’t even warn you about it and just killed you so I could jump. Do you think you are able to change my mind this time? No, Landon. I’m still the same old Hope who will snap your neck again so that I can go save lives!”

Landon looked offended. “Thanks for making me feel extra useless.”

“That’s not what I mean..” Hope sighed. “Look, both of us are not in the right mind now. I told you we should take a break but you..”

“You mean you were serious?!” Landon asked. “Hope, you were just mad at me. Tell me you did not seriously think about that when we just got back together not long ago!”

“Guess you weren’t even listening then. You asked me to consider your proposal of moving away from Mystic Falls. Why couldn’t you consider my suggestion for us to take a break? Talk about being fair!” Hope complained.

Landon furrowed his brow. “Fair? The difference is….I’m trying to save our relationship and your suggestion was to end it? Am I not hearing right, Hope?”

He was kinda right. Finally, Hope could not hide it in anymore as she took a deep breath and admitted. “I…I kissed Josie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm gonna change up my chapter format to be longer(basically combine 2 chapters I have written into ONE chapter) which means averagely 4k words per chapter. Hope that works for most of my readers but it would also mean I may take a longer time to update some chapters. Don't worry, the next couple of chapters are already written and they're full of hosie! Just need lots of editing and will probably update by next week.


	8. Let's Do This

Josie woke to a sound outside her room. Like a footstep. She quickly stood up and grasped the talisman on her neck. Hope’s “Make Quiet Things Heard” gift for her sweet 16 birthday. Siphoning magic from it, she raised her hand, preparing to cast a repel spell in case her uncle attacked her on sight.

Then she saw him. A handsome man in his 20s, Kai Parker crooked a head to peep into her room at the door way. When he saw her, he looked surprised. Not so much the hostile kind of surprise but a happy kind?

“Jo?!” Kai asked with a curious smile.

“You know me?” Josie asked.

“Of course, I know my own sister!” Kai beamed. “Wait! Do they actually let the younger dead version visit this time?” 

“I’m….I’m not her. I’m her daughter.” Josie admitted.

Kai dropped his jaw upon that revelation, like he just recognized a celebrity. “You’re Josie Saltzman!”

Josie nodded.

“You’re here to release me, aren’t you?” Kai asked excitedly, remembering his nieces were the ones who created this prison world after all. “I have served more than a decade and it’s time for my release, isn’t it?”

“I…I need you to give me some answers first.” Josie replied as she kept her careful distance from the uncle.

“Whatever you need, my dear niece.” Kai opened his welcoming arms with a friendly smile.

=====

“You WHAT?!” Landon could not believe his ears when Hope confessed that she had kissed someone else and it was someone he dated?! So, he checked again. “MY Josie?”

Hope frowned at that expression. “Your what? Yes, that Josie. Your EX! Look Landon. It was the cupid spell and…”

“Oh..Thank God it was just a spell!” Landon heaved a loud sigh of relief as he patted his chest. “You had me, Hope! You really had me.”

He was about to hug Hope but she took a step back and disclosed. “We kissed again when the spell was over. I…I wanted to.. and she wanted it too.. It’s…it’s real.”

“I don’t understand.” Landon shook his head. “She hates us. Hope, she could be playing you. To get back at me!”

“She’s not. I just know!”

“How would you know?! Josie has not been herself and she could have place a spell or something!”

“Landon, you should be getting mad at me. Not trying to find excuses for my actions.” Hope cried. “I did it willingly. Not spell-induced. Not drunk. I am the issue here. I wanted her not just physically but emotionally. I-I have… feelings for her.”

Landon wished he could yell accusations at Hope but even that was hard for him to express. Fact was he should have known. Hope was always taking Josie’s side. Protecting her. Caring about her feelings more than his. And the way Hope reacted to Josie’s disappearance?! Problem was he had always passed it off as her feeling guilty for taking him from Josie or that it was all just sisterly care for Josie. Landon sat down and buried his head in his hands. Perhaps this was just karma set on him… for breaking one girl’s heart the same night he took another girl back.

“I’m… sorry, Landon.” Hope apologized tearfully.

====

Three Weeks Later

Josie walked to her spell table to check on the stake bow. She checked on the jar of vervain too. Casting an uncloaking spell to check on the small tube of blood in her little mini cooler. If she lost this blood, she was finished, like her whole mission in this damn prison world would be deemed mission failed because she would have released a beast into the real world. Everything she was doing now was to protect this tube of blood and of course the ascendant. But unfortunately, she had lost the ascendant. Kai Parker was not just a psychotic serial killer, he was apparently quite the charming actor. When Josie first met him, he seemed so nice and welcoming she actually fell for his act. She would think more than 11 years in the prison would have made the man repent and be a better person but she was so wrong. To be slightly fair, she was trying to trick him into believing she was releasing him in exchange for information on the curse of the merge but he had caught on her act and then declared war on her.

The war he declared was a game of wits and battle. To see who beats the other and gets out of the prison world first. Josie at first had both the essential tools to get out, the Bennett blood and the ascendant she brought with her. But Kai Parker managed to steal the ascendant from her when he uncloaked it at the right place at the right time. Josie was pissed at herself for losing that but fortunately he could not find the vial of Bennett blood which she cloaked separately in different areas every now and then. Of course, Josie fought him to try to get back the ascendant but could hardly beat the more powerful heretic. The weird thing was Kai refused to kill her everytime he beats her in a witch fight and Josie would guess that it was because he had no patience to wait 24 hours for her to respawn back to life. But as days went by, she realized he was enjoying the battles they have. He could have tortured her to give him the Bennett blood but he wouldn’t. Kai Parker just preferred to keep a score board instead. He just wanted to continue this thrill of having someone to play with.

The scoreboard now stood at 9:6 with Uncle Kai leading of course. Josie would win a point if she managed to kill him the non-vampire way, that is neck-snaps or anything that left him unconscious for a period of time. She would win 2 points if she managed to tear his heart out or stake him. She managed to get that 2 points recently. Good thing about this game was whenever Josie won a fight, not only she would score a point but Kai would give her a new piece of information on the merge. And all the more Josie was determined to win whenever he launched an attack on her. Recently he arranged a new deal with Josie now that she seemed to be getting rather good at the game. That whoever hit the 20-mark score first would win both the ascendant and Bennett blood.

Sometimes she felt she might had lost her sanity because she was starting to enjoy this violent game as well. There were times when Kai would even compliment Josie when she scored points and she actually felt proud of that.

=====

It was almost midnight when Hope heard knocking on her door. She hoped it was not Landon. They had already broken up after Landon gave her a make or break ultimatum weeks ago.

“If you still love me, you will not to go to the prison world! If you still insist on going…..then it’s over between us.”

It was a selfish request on his part and he knew it. But he could not bear the hurt of her betrayal anymore and so he issued that ultimatum on Hope. Hope knew that Landon would know her answer, that Hope would choose to end their relationship and save Josie. So, when she made her expected choice, he had left her alone for weeks now. She felt sorry and hated herself enough for all that had happened in her relationship with Landon. But she knew she could not continue a relationship with him when she was clear about who she was in love with. Cupid Eros ignited her hidden feelings for Josie and showed her the difference between her feelings for Landon and Josie but only upon losing Josie to another world did Hope realized she needed to make her choice. Now all Hope wanted was to get Josie back safe in her arms so that she would not lose her ever again. 

Thankfully, the midnight knock was not Landon at the door but Lizzie. Hope immediately opened the door.

“It’s done, Hope. The ascendant is ready.” Lizzie announced with a smile.

“Great! It’s been three weeks! Let’s go now!” Hope quickly moved to her closet and started packing her stuff into a backpack.

“Hope…” Lizzie walked in to sit on the edge of the tribrid’s bed. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

Hope turned around to look at a solemn looking Lizzie. “What is it, Lizzie?”

“I had a long talk with my parents and Aunt Bonnie earlier. We decided to just send you down there without me.” Lizzie was starting to tear up. “Trust me I want to go down there. To save my sister. I need Jo. But they said they need me up here as a back-up. They said they can’t risk me in there when I’m the only living Gemini coven witch here who is able to create another ascendant just in case both you and Josie get stuck in there and Kai escaped. Aunt Bonnie said he is capable of destroying all ascendants while he takes the only one to escape himself.”

“Lizzie, it’s fine..” Hope sat down to hold the blonde’s hand. “I will get your sister back safely, I promised!”

“Thank you, Hope.” Lizzie hugged her friend in gratitude. “Listen, my smartass sister apparently left a hint when she said in her note that she’ll write to me while she was away. I thought she meant it as a joke to lighten up the farewell note to me. She had been writing to me through Penelope’s burn book! She has been using that pen to write to me!”

“What did she say?!” Hope asked excitedly. “Is she alright?”

“She said she’s handling our mad uncle well so far to get answers and ask for us to be patient for now. But she did mention she lost the ascendant so would take a while to find it.” Lizzie also added. “At least she still has the Bennett blood.”

“Ok, but we will have this new ascendant when I get down there so it’s fine.” Hope noted. “Too bad we can’t write back to her to assure her.”

“One more thing, Hope.” Lizzie remembered. “In case you lose this ascendant as well, Aunt Bonnie told me the location of the 2018 corresponding ascendant. She cloaked it in dad’s office but in order to uncloak it, you would need a special Bennett uncloaking spell. Hopefully Kai Parker hadn’t figure out that spell.” Lizzie passed a piece of paper to Hope. “Memorize this.”

Hope took a look and then pushed the paper into her jean pocket. “Anything else? Let’s do this!”

=====

Hope had landed in the football field of the Salvatore Boarding School. She did everything Bonnie Bennett had instructed. After Lizzie casted the spell to send her into the present prison world, she casted herself the portal to the 2018 prison world. It looked like 2018 because the football field had no bleachers yet. She got up to walk toward the boarding house.

“Josie..” Hope called out softly as she finally stepped into the boarding school. The place was awfully quiet. There was no answer and she decided not to call out loud remembering she might alert the big bad uncle instead.

Hope then tip-toed up the stairs to the top floor. She should turn towards the twins’ room where Josie could be at but Hope paused for the moment as she took a look at her room at the opposite end of the hallway. The tribrid noticed the door was slightly ajar. Out of curiosity, Hope decided to check on her own room as she walked towards it, remembering fondly of the night she last kissed Josie in that room.

All of a sudden, Hope heard a loud snap and a piercing pain hit her. She screamed like a damsel in distress she was actually embarrassed that such a scream was coming out from a badass tribrid like her. The pain was coming from her feet but Hope saw nothing but blood coming out of her right ankle. It must be a trap hidden by a cloaking spell. Hope cast the uncloaking spell and finally saw a bear trap around her feet.

“Hope?”

The tribrid looked up to see the person she had been looking for.

Josie was obviously surprised upon seeing the tribrid. The brunette was standing a few feet in front, wearing a black tank top matched with slim fit jeans and thick boots, with her two-tail braided hair and looking more tanned and fit than ever. The siphon witch was holding a crossbow with a stake attached to it, looking like a freakin tomb raider! Hope had never seen Josie looking this bad ass that she realized she had momentarily forgotten about the pain on her feet.

“What are you doing here?!” Josie exclaimed.

“What the fuck, Josie?!” Hope pointed at the sharp pain returning on her feet and groaned out loud.

“Sorry! Sorry! I’ll get it out.” Josie dropped the crossbow and rushed over to Hope. She got on one knee as she tried to pry the bear trap open.

Josie was wearing a pair of fitness gloves and was using as much strength to pry the bear trap open. Hope found herself admiring the younger girl’s biceps stretching to its fullest till she finally managed to open the trap. Hope could feel the quick pain of the bear trap teeth pulling out from her flesh and the tribrid let out a loud gasp of pain but mostly relief.

“Sorry this obviously was not meant for you. It was for my crazy ass uncle.” Josie reported as she slipped a supportive arm around Hope’s waist to help the tribrid walk steadily towards her room. 

“He’s that dangerous, eh?” Hope noted as she draped her arm over Josie’s shoulders for support. 

“Yeah, you have no idea.” Josie shook her head lightly, finally reaching Hope’s room and settling the tribrid on the bed. “So, you haven’t answered my question, Hope?”

“I’m here to get you out, Jo!” Hope told the brunette the obvious as she checked on her wounded ankle, which was already healing gradually. “Obviously everyone freaked out when you disappeared into this world to face a dangerous mad man alone!”

“But how did you managed to….”

“Lizzie had to create another ascendant. That was why it took me weeks to get here.”

“How’s Lizzie?”

“She’s fine. She wanted so badly to come down here as well to get your ass back but they need her to stay there as a back-up in case we got stuck here.” Hope reported as she released her backpack. “Listen, I heard you lost the original ascendant but now that I have the new ascendant, we can get out of here now.”

“You knew about that? That means it worked. The burn book still records even when I write from another world.” Josie smiled at that revelation but then added. “But I can’t leave now. I’m really close to getting answers on the merge. I’m not done here yet.” 

“Josie…please. The stories they tell me about your uncle are scary. Forget about getting answers from him. I want you safe.” Hope begged.

“I’m safe, Hope. I can take care of myself.”

“I know that but anywhere is safer than here.” Hope reached out to hold Josie’s hands. “Jo… I really miss you.”

“I…I miss you too.” Josie found herself admitting. Gosh, she wanted to kiss Hope so badly when the tribrid was looking at her this softly again. But then she heard a suspicious sound outside and quickly stood up. “Fuck! I left my crossbow outside!”

Josie ran out of the room.

The siphon was a little too late as she saw her uncle smiling with her crossbow in his possession now. Josie quickly cast a “PATERA”, hoping to hurl her uncle away but her heretic uncle had already casted a rebound shield. Her attack spell hit back at her and she flew several feet back. Kai Parker smiled at his victorious move until he saw another girl of Josie’s age appearing. Before he could react, Hope had casted the spell to break his shield.

“Who are you?” Kai greeted Hope with a curious look. He realized the girl had casted a rather ancient spell which he doubted few new generation kids like his niece would know. Who was this girl? He could also feel her unique power from afar.

Before Hope could answer, Josie had already muttered a spell to dislodge the crossbow out of her uncle’s hands into her hands, while he was distracted by Hope. Grabbing the crossbow and quickly aiming, Josie fired the stake right into Kai’s heart. Bull’s eye!

“Fuck..” Kai muttered before he collapsed. Motionless.

“TWO POINTS!” Josie announced her vampire killing points proudly. It was such a satisfying win that her adrenalin was still pumping. Her daily training with the crossbow was paying off.

“That was… HOT.” Hope gasped at Josie after witnessing that perfect shot.

Josie turned to her new accomplice with a pleased smirk. She pushed the tribrid against the wall and wasted no time in kissing the girl she had been missing so much.

====

Hope was lying in bed staring at that slender sexy back. Sex with Josie was amazing. Better than her dreams. Maybe sex was just better when one was this in love. Josie had been sleeping soundly for some time with her back facing Hope. The tribrid noted the girl might have been so tired fighting a powerful heretic everyday she was hardly getting any sleep. Brushing Josie’s brown locks away, Hope started laying tender kisses on Josie’s tanned slender back. Oh god, the tribrid was wanted Josie again. She wondered how many rounds of sex they could have before the vampire uncle woke up.

“Hmm..”

She heard Josie moaned softly, most likely in response to her kisses at the back.

“Hope…” Josie whimpered. “More…”

“More of this?” Hope kissed the brunette’s nape and trailed the kisses to Josie’s ear.

“Hmmm…” More moaning from Josie. “I wish I’m not this tired…”

“Then go back to sleep..” Hope encouraged. “I’m sorry I woke you.”

“I only had two hours of sleep last night.” Josie turned around to face Hope with her tired eyes half opened. “It’s the first time I have slept so well since I got here.”

“Sleep, babe..” Hope kissed the siphon lightly, caressing her cheek.

“But I want you too. I wanna make love to you as many times as possible…before it’s over when we get back to our world…” Josie closed her eyes to Hope’s soft caress before trailing off into sleep again.

Hope’s heart ached for Josie who still thought she would lose her to Landon again. The tribrid promised to tell Josie she would not be losing her this time. As the tribrid continued thumbing Josie’s surreal sleeping face, she soon fell asleep herself.

When Hope woke up, it was almost nightfall. She turned to her side and realized that Josie was no longer in bed. The tribrid quickly got up to get dressed. When she got out of the room, she could smell food coming from the kitchen downstairs.

Upon reaching the kitchen, she found Josie grilling some steaks.

“Nice. Just in time for dinner.” Josie announced when she saw Hope coming in. “I hardly get to cook a good meal when I’m here. Killing my uncle vampire-style got me that rare 24 hours of free time before he wakes up so I’m gonna cook up a storm now.”

“Need my help?” Hope approached Josie but got a kiss in response from Josie instead.

“Nope. But you can judge my cooking in a while.” Josie suggested.

“From the hungry pangs I have developed just from the smell of your cooking, I think you’re getting a 10 already.” Hope complimented.

“You flatter me, Hope. If only this score can be up on my war game scoreboard.”

“What war game scoreboard?”

“It’s now 9:8. I’m just a point down.” Josie then told Hope everything that went down between her uncle and her so far. About their war games, the hunt for the Bennett blood and ascendant and winning information on the merge as well.

“This game sounds sadistic, Josie. How long are you going to play on?” Hope observed aloud.

“Until I get all the answers. Listen, Hope. I’m really close to getting some real answers. A spell that could break the merge curse. Because Lizzie and I are siphons, Kai said this spell would work.” 

“What if he’s bluffing you, Jo? Bonnie said he is a sociopath who doesn’t help people at all.”

“I know this is weird coming from me..” Josie shook her head as she was slicing some peppers. “But spending all this time with him, I can somehow see another side of him. Yes, he’s still a sociopath who love playing these killing games with me but sometimes I feel like he really is trying to help me. And like he’s secretly mentoring me as well.”

“Jo…”

“Look, if you don’t feel safe here, you should go back first. Assure the rest that I am fine.”

“NO! I’m not going back without you!” Hope retorted, looking mad.

Josie was slightly taken aback by the tribrid’s offended reaction.

But Hope was not done being offended. “Look, I’m not some…sex toy messenger who threw herself down here to pass messages around from one world to another world! I came down here to get my girl back so that she doesn’t leave me again, ok?!”

Josie was now more taken aback. Sex toy messenger? She had no idea she gave Hope that impression. And MY girl? 

“I-I’m sorry...” The siphon stuttered her apology. “I didn’t mean that..”

“Did the sex mean nothing to you?” Hope asked.

“No, of course it meant something. It was the best I’ve had.” Josie explained. “I just thought that when you get back to our world, you will.. like…choose…”

“I will choose you. No! I already chose you, Jo.” Hope confessed. “I…I told Landon…about us. I couldn’t lie to him. And he made me choose and I chose you. So…yeah, we broke up. Weeks ago.”

Josie could not believe what she just heard. “But you love him.”

“Not when I’m in love with you!” Hope looked into those surprised brown eyes. “I just couldn’t make a choice earlier even when I knew you were the one I want. I needed to be honest with Landon first.”

Did Hope Mikaelson dump Landon Kirby to be with her and just confessed she is in love with her? Since the time Josie had a big fat crush on Hope years ago, she had always felt it would always be a one-sided thing. Yes, Hope had kissed her, even had beautiful sex with her but she would never had guess the tribrid would return her lovelorn feelings with true love?

Josie ran the words in her mind again. Hope had actually done a Landon on Landon. He dumped her and jumped into bed with Hope and now Hope had dumped him and jumped into bed with her. He chose Hope. But now Hope chose HER. Josie Saltzman.

“Jo?” Hope checked. “Oh god, I’m freaking you out, am I? I just explicitly told you I’m in love with you and you are my girl just like that and you’re so not ready!”

“No no! I’m more than happy about this. It’s like a dream come true.” Josie admitted with tears in her eyes. “All my life, I have been used to being no.2. Next to Lizzie. Next to you. But now…” 

“Josie Saltzman, you were never no.2 or less. Never to me!” Hope assured the siphon with a sincere kiss.

====

During dinner, the two girls chatted, shared some laughs and flirted. After dinner, they made love again in bed. They still had about 14 hours to kill before Kai was expected to resurrect. 

“Since we have hours of no threat to spare, should we take the opportunity to head back home? Our world?” Hope suggested again while they laid in bed talking.

“Hope, I didn’t plan all this for weeks and come down all the way here just to give up so easily.” Josie rejected the suggestion again.

“Fine. You’re as annoying as I am when it comes to completing missions.” Hope sighed. “You’re lucky Lizzie isn’t down here or you’ll have to deal with her persistence to get out of here too.”

“As much as I miss my dear sister, a part of me wished we could stay here longer so we could date in peace without having to face Lizzie’s judgement.” Josie had to admit.

“Tell me about it. When I told Lizzie about my past crush on you, she was really against the idea of us being together.” Hope disclosed.

“You told her?!”

“Ermm, I had to spill secrets when the truth-seeking demon was fighting Lizzie and I?”

“I can’t believe Lizzie managed to keep that secret from me! And we promised no secrets between us!” Josie was counting internally. “She kept it for like two months? That’s a record!”

“I know right! Like she’s so determined not to see us happen! We probably have to hide our relationship from her for a while when we get back.” Hope sighed but then thought of something. “Hey, you know what. You’re right. We should go on some dates while we’re here.”

“Yeah, if only my uncle could stay dead longer and leave us alone.” Josie sighed.

“Hmm..” Hope raised a brow. “I may know just the spell for that.” 


	9. The Things She'd Do For Love

“But it’s dark magic, Hope.” Josie noted when Hope revealed the idea of a desiccation spell on Kai. “Don’t you get any side effects from doing black magic?”

Hope shook her head. “I don’t. I don’t know if it’s a Mikaelson Witch advantage. My grandmother, grandaunt and Aunt Freya did not have any side effects and they practice loads of it.”

“It affects me and Lizzie badly when I practice any dark magic. We’ll feel sick or get bad rashes. That’s why I use a mora miserium to withhold all the effects.” Josie disclosed.

“Really? It’s not a good long-term solution, Jo.” Hope shook her head. “If that mora miserium breaks, the effects might come back to you and Lizzie full-on. Where do you keep it?”

“Safe. In my backpack.”

“With a load of bubble-wrap?”

“No, Hope.”

“Just…be careful with it. I may know a way to double protect it but I need to check with a friend from New Orleans first.” Hope warned and then added. “Anyway, I can cast the desiccation spell on my own. I will do it as soon as he wakes up. You just need to do something for me which doesn’t require black magic.”

“Ok.” Josie then admitted solemnly. “Listen, Hope, sometimes, I feel like I’m addicted to black magic. I did black magic quite a lot when I was depressed, especially when you and Landon got back together. I sometimes use it to fight against my uncle. That's why I brought the mora miserium with me here.”

Hope looked at Josie in concern. “It’s no wonder. I knew something was wrong then.” The tribrid then reached out to hold the siphon’s face. “I’ll make sure I’ll find you a cure for this black magic stuff so that you don’t get all these bad side effects, ok?”

“You are already my cure. I’m definitely not depressed now.” Josie smiled sheepishly. 

Hope smiled back and kissed the girl with all her anti-depression passion.

=====

Kai Parker woke up to his stretched arms tied by chains on the ceiling in a cell. His ankles chained to the ground as well. He casted a spell but it was no use. Shit! Looked like he was dosed with a lot of vervain that took away his vamp magic and which he could not siphon from.

“JOSIE!!” he shouted as he struggled in his chains. “This is not part of the game rules, niece!”

“Sorry, Uncle Kai.” Josie walked down into the cell and faced him with an apologetic look. “But as much as I trust you, Hope doesn’t and I don’t want her getting hurt.”

“Hope? That girl who broke my shield spell? She doesn’t seem like any damsel in distress kind.” Kai noted. “Please tell your girlfriend to learn the game rules, Josie. This is cheating!”

Somehow a relative, evil or not, calling Hope her girlfriend sent blissful feels in her. Josie found herself actually smiling at that.

“Ahhh… you’re in love with her.” Kai could not help but noticed the glow in his niece. “I just found your biggest weakness, Josie Saltzman.”

“No matter. I’ll worry about that IF you can defeat her..” Josie shrugged.

“Why? What is she?” Kai bobbed his head. “Is she some kind of ancient witch?”

“I’d like to just keep you guessing.”

“Just tell me already! I’m bored!” Kai whined as he probed. “Like there must be a reason you’re in love with her, right? I mean, besides those witchy skills. What else is she good at, huh?”

“She’s a good kisser.” Josie decided to play along. And it worked in annoying her uncle because Kai rolled his eyes dramatically.

“And that’s all?”

“Well, there is something else.” Josie finally let her uncle in on what was going to happen. “She’s also really good at dark magic. In fact, she performing that now.”

Kai eyed suspiciously at Josie as he noticed her hand on his chest where his heart laid. She was not siphoning him yet he was starting to feel his body’s blood energy draining out more. His heart was beating way slower. It was worse than being dosed with vervain. “Josie… what the fuck is your bad girlfriend doing to me?!”

“It’s just for a while, Uncle Kai.” Josie felt slightly apologetic. So far, her uncle had been playing the game by the rules but she was halting the game for some extra love time with the girlfriend. “Just take it as a good nice rest.”

“She’s desiccating me, isn’t she?” Kai guessed out loud. “But how is she able to do it without stopping your heart?”

“Her aunt taught her an advanced version. And yes, her aunt’s an ancient witch.”

“If she’s not a Bennett, don’t tell me she’s…she’s a Mikael...” Kai could not find the energy to finish his sentence.

“We’ll wake you up soon, ok? You still owe me a part of the spell since I scored two points this time.” Josie reminded as her uncle’s face gradually turned grey and his body went stiff.

=====

“Let me plan this date, please.” Josie begged.

“You already planned that nice dinner for me.” Hope reminded.

“That was not counted. It was unplanned. We needed to have dinner so I just cooked.”

“Gosh, you’re so annoyingly giving. I wanna give my girlfriend something too.”

“You can give later after this date.” Josie grinned. “And you need stay away from me while I plan this. It needs to be a surprise.”

“Fine.” Hope sighed.

And so, the wait began. Hope was told to stay in her room while Josie plan their ‘surprise’ date for that evening. The tribrid decided to rest. After performing that dark magic spell on Kai, she was kind of exhausted. She closed her eyes while her mind was filled with her newfound bliss. This relationship with Josie felt so right. So fitting. Josie and her shared so much in common they could talk all day and night. She then realized Landon and her did not even talk that much when they dated. He could talk all night about his alien or sci-fi nerd stuff and she would listen with a smile, not really paying attention at all. Josie also had her nerd stuff but at least they were witchcraft or chemistry related and Hope knew these stuff.

Though they practically only just started dating, this intensity she felt with Josie was something she had never felt before. There was so much going on! They crushed on each other when they were young teens. They were frenemies and then friends and then rivals in love and now finally lovers. They did dark magic together. They killed monsters together. They kicked a powerful heretic ass together and it was hot! And sex after kicking ass together? Mind-fuckin-blowing!

This was too good to be true yet she knew once they get back to their real world, they have to deal with the sister and the ex-boyfriend. So, why not take the opportunity to spend a little romantic time with each other in world of their own first? Just do a little bit of dark magic and desiccate a vamp to leave them alone for the time being. Then deal with him for real before they get back to their world. Oh.. the things she’d do for love.

Josie could not believe she was in love now. Just some weeks ago she had sworn off relationships and all because of Landon and Hope. Yet here she was, totally back in the game and with of all person, Hope Mikaelson. Her first girl crush. The girl she never had thought would get with her after all that had happened between them through the years! It was like a dream come true. A fairy tale.

After preparing all that was needed for this romantic dinner date with Hope, Josie was pleased with herself and was ready to present it to the girlfriend now. She found Hope sleeping in her room and even looking radiant when asleep.

Hope woke up to a shower of butterfly kisses on her face.

“It’s time, Hope.” Josie announced.

The tribrid was then led to the swimming poolside where a nice little candle-lit table was set up. Josie had prepared a salmon steak dish and even baked a cake? As Hope got closer to the table she noticed the cake had the words “Happy Birthday, Hope”

“But my birthday was months ago!” Hope reminded Josie.

“Well, I know that but I didn’t have enough cream for the word “belated 18th”. And I also know that you pretty much didn’t get to celebrate it when you were stuck in Malivore then.” Josie pointed out.

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t even remember it myself.” Hope shook her head.

“It does matter! And I wanna celebrate with you. Now.” Josie then muttered a spell and fireworks flew out bursting into the night sky.

The view was beautiful and Hope gasped at the beautiful sight. Josie Saltzman really went all out and just when Hope thought that was the most romantic surprise a loved one had ever done for her, the brunette started serenading her the birthday song in her beautiful voice….with her ukulele!!

“You brought your ukulele?!” Hope asked, wide-eyed.

“No…I found it in my one of my chests. Seems my parents already bought one for me early back then.” Josie chuckled.

Hope was moved to tears as she admitted to the girlfriend. “No one remembered I had my birthday but you did.”

“But I didn’t. At first. After we made peace I actually remembered but Landon came back and we weren’t really in good terms again.” Josie explained. “Also, since I couldn’t really get you a present here, I decided to make this celebratory date as a gift.”

“It’s the best gift ever!” Hope moved closer to kiss Josie in appreciation.

====

“Did you write to Lizzie to assure her we’re doing fine?” Hope asked after she moved a chess piece on the chess board.

“I did. Told her we were still busy kicking mad uncle’s ass and getting real answers.” Josie then announced as she made her winning move. “Checkmate!”

“Are you sure you didn’t cheat?” Hope frowned in suspicion.

“I cheated when I played this with Landon. You have tribrid senses, I wouldn’t dare cheat.” Josie shook her head.

“Was Landon that good at chess that you had to cheat to beat him?” Hope had to ask.

“Yup.” Josie nodded. “You never played chess with him?”

“Nope. Never wrote songs with him too.” The tribrid added, with a hint of sarcasm.

“Hope...”

“I’m fine. I’m not jealous….” Hope stated. “…of his chess or song-writing skills over mine.”

Josie chuckled and then asked casually. “So, what do you do with him besides milkshakes and sex?”

“Jo..” Hope deadpanned. “Now you’re being mean.”

“It’s been two weeks and we’ve done way more stuff than just sex and milkshakes.” Josie shrugged. “Just saying.”

“That’s coz we have no school and monster-fighting. Not to mention, family, friends?” Hope reminded. As much as she enjoyed playing house like a happily married couple with Josie, she knew this should not last for too long. They had to deal with Kai and go back to the real world eventually.

As if reading her mind, Josie added. “Talk about that. We should get back to some heretic kicking soon. I need to get answers from my uncle already.” 

“I love it when you go all bad-ass business-like. It’s just so sexy.” Hope complimented the girlfriend.

“Thank you and I love it when we do it together.” Josie raised a brow.

“I think we should try a not too violent strategy to deal with your uncle...” Hope rubbed her chin.

“Do tell, my love.” Josie probed.

“It’s gonna require some ascendant treasure-hunting first.” Hope added. “And then some careful negotiation.”

=====

“You sure this will work?”

“Of course. Trust me.”

Kai woke up to the two girls’ voices. It was total darkness this time. He was not chained up but he still was not able to move much because he was in a very tight space with a brick wall surrounding him. It was the old torture method of draining a vampire of blood. He could feel the lack of blood in his system and that he was still powerless.

“Let me out!!” He called out.

Just then, a brick was removed at his eye level and he could see Josie and the other girl, Hope.

“Hey girls.. have you not learnt the rules yet?!” Kai complained. “First you chain me up and then you desiccate me and now THIS?!”

“Uncle Kai, we’re here to negotiate.” Josie informed.

“Negotiate?” Kai laughed out loud. “With me in a fuckin chimney?!”

“Well, you don’t really do well negotiating without violence so we had to put you in here.” Josie explained.

“Look, every time you answer a question, we’ll give you a small cap of human blood.” Hope displayed a small medicine cup carrying that little blood and that was enough to trigger his hunger so high.

Kai gave that tempting offer a thought. “This still isn’t fair!”

“We’ll give you a tube of Bennett blood for the last question.” Hope added.

Kai’s eyes brightened up. “How many questions? I won’t take more than 5 questions!”

“Oh, it will be less than 5 questions.” Hope announced. “And you have to tell the truth because we have the truth stone that will prove it.”

Kai looked at a crystal looking ball held up by Josie.

“They still make those?! How annoying!” He grumbled. “I think it is only fair that I get to ask questions too. Can we do that?”

Hope and Josie exchanged a look and they both shrugged that they thought it was a fair deal. So they agreed.

“Alright, first question, Uncle Kai.” Josie announced. “Where’s my ascendant?”

“That’s not a fair question, Josie! I won that ascendant fair and square!” Kai highlighted.

“You stole it from me!” Josie argued. “When we weren’t even in a fight. You were just in the right place at the right time.”

“Which is why I won it fair! With my wits!” Kai added.

“Dude, you don’t answer the question, I will take away one blood cup!” Hope warned.

“Take it away then. What’s the point of you giving me the Bennett blood when you’re taking away the ascendant from me!” Kai stated.

“But you’ll have the hidden ascendant in the prison world.” Hope added. “It is cloaked by a special Bennett spell. I’ll give you that spell along with the Bennett blood when you have answered every question truthfully.”

“How do I know if you’re telling the truth about that spell?” Kai asked.

Hope showed Kai a piece of paper scribbled with some incantation written by Bonnie Bennett and also the truth stone turning blue, which indicated she was telling the truth and keeping her word.

“Now do you want this little cup of blood for energy or not?” Hope asked.

Kai nodded.

“Where’s the ascendant, uncle?” Josie repeated her question.

“It’s cloaked in the library.” Kai revealed, only for the truth stone to shine red, meaning he lied.

“One cup of blood forfeited.” Hope announced.

“Wait! I was only testing if that stone was really working.” He then gave the answer reluctantly. “Salvatore crypt. Now give me the blood to drink!”

Hope and Josie checked the truth stone which glowed blue and that Kai was telling the truth.

“I’ll go get the ascendant.” Josie announced right after and Hope nodded in agreement.

“Be careful of traps, Jo.” Hope warned and Josie nodded before she left the cell room.

After Hope fed him that small amount of blood, Kai could feel a little better but was still not able to siphon any magic from his rather low vamp power.

“So, my turn to ask a question.” Kai asked the auburn-haired girl. “You’re a Mikaelson, aren’t you?”

Hope nodded and the truth stone turned true blue.

“Josie told you that or you read about my family?” Hope guessed.

“I read a little in this house full of books. I’ve never met your family but I do know a deep secret about the Mikaelson witches’ history with the Gemini coven. Stuff you can’t find in this library.” Kai added.

“What..” Hope was curious now. She knew her family history well but she had never heard of one related to the Gemini coven. “What do you mean?”

Kai chuckled, shaking his head. “Nope. Not gonna answer if that is not one of your 5 questions.”

Hope contemplated and then agreed. She took out another cup of blood to show Kai.

“What’s this deep secret, Kai?” Hope demanded.

“Not so good news to you. They have bad history. A Mikaelson witch was the one who put the curse on the Gemini twin merge.” Kai revealed.

Hope looked at the truth stone glowing blue. Aunt Freya? Hope thought to herself.

“Blood please, Hope.” Kai reminded and Hope fed him the small cup while she was still confused and curious about the whole history.

“Which Mikaelson witch?!” Hope asked anxiously.

“Question no.3 already? That was fast!”

“ANSWER ME!” Hope demanded but she remembered to show Kai his 3rd blood cup.

“Esther.” Kai answered and the truth stone revealed it was the truth.

Her grandmother? Would Freya know anything of this?

“You know what?” Kai suggested. “Just give the Bennett blood already. I can just give you the answer to end the curse of the merge now.”

“You mean the spell you promised Josie?”

“Oh no! That was a hoax! I only came up with that to get Josie to play the long game with me.” Kai admitted. “Now that I know you’re a Mikaelson, I’m more than happy to reveal the way to end the merge curse.”

Hope looked at the truth stone to see if Kai was telling the truth and he was.

“Tell me the way to break the curse, Kai.” Hope picked up the tube of Bennett blood and the note with the special uncloaking spell, showing her end of the deal.

“Oh! Josie’s back!” Kai noticed his niece coming back. “Just in time for the finale!”

“Did you get the ascendant?” Hope asked Josie who quickly revealed the ascendant in her hand to Hope.

“Good.” Hope then turned to Kai. “Now answer my question on breaking the merge curse.”

“It’s the final question already?” Josie noted.

Hope just nodded and Kai smiled as he revealed the final answer.

“By ending the Mikaelson witch bloodline.”

Hope looked at the truth stone and it shone a bright blue.

“No! No! It can’t be it. If a Mikaelson put the curse, there must be a way for them to lift the curse. A spell or ritual done by a Mikaelson witch.” Hope said to Kai.

“Or how I wish you girls don’t have to go through a Romeo and Juliet love tragedy but death is the only way to lift the curse of another death ritual. It’s only fair I guess.” Kai added and then reminded Hope. “Now, Bennett blood and incantation please.”

Josie and Hope was too dumb-founded to respond. Now it was not about whether Lizzie or Josie had to die but that Hope and Freya had to die in order to save both Lizzie and Josie.

“Wait a minute! What about that spell you told me that will end the curse? The one I have been fighting points for?” Josie checked with her uncle.

“It was a made-up spell, Jo. Told you he was bluffing you.” Hope answered instead.

Josie shook her head at her uncle who only pouted at her guiltily. “Sorry little niece. How else can I play the game with you?”

“I’m sooooo gonna…” Josie wanted to strangle her uncle so bad but Hope stopped her by the arm.

“That’s not gonna help.” Hope reminded Josie. 

“GIRLS! Now is not the time to fuck with me! I delivered my end of the deal.” Kai shouted. Seemed like his energy was gaining back.

“Grab your backpack now, Jo.” Hope gathered herself quickly as she picked her own backpack up. “We’re heading back to our world now.”

“Wait!” Kai shouted.

“It’s there!” Hope pointed to the floor where the items laid near Kai. “Bennett blood and uncloaking spell! You already have enough blood to gain back your magic and blast this wall around you within an hour.”

“Hope, are you ready?” Josie had her ascendant ready in her hands.

“Wait! How do I know if it’s really Bennett blood?” Kai asked.

“Only one way to find out.” Hope took the tube of blood promised to Kai and poured a small bit on the ascendant Josie was holding before placing the leftover tube of blood back in front of Kai. “Cast the spell, Jo.”

The two girls held hands as Josie chanted the spell to return back to their world.

Kai watched on as within minutes, Josie and Hope disappeared in a flash of bright light. 

=====

Hope woke up in her room. Her room in present time and the real world. It was still dark. She looked around her room for Josie but she was not in her room. Running out of her room, Hope headed anxiously towards the twins’ room on the same floor. She wanted to knock on the door but changed her mind and muttered a spell to open the door quietly. She found Lizzie sleeping soundly but Josie’s bed was empty. Did Josie not get back? Hope started panicking. In her panic, she went to wake Lizzie up.

“Lizzie, Lizzie! Wake up! I’m back!!” Hope shook the blonde awake.

“What the fuck, Hope?” Lizzie grumbled. “Let me sleep!”

“Look! I’m back! I’m finally back but… but where’s Josie?!” Hope rambled on. She was also surprised at Lizzie’s lack of anticipation that she was finally back from the prison world. Was sleep really that important to Lizzie?

“Hope..” It was not Lizzie who called her.

The tribrid turned around to see Josie walking into the room.

“Oh thank god!” Hope heaved a huge sigh of relief as she moved to hug the brunette tightly. “I thought I lost you.” They then kissed.

“I was in the library. I guessed I landed in the last place where I casted myself into that world.” Josie broke the kiss a little as she related to Hope. She then noticed her sister staring at her sleepily from her bed. 

“Lizzie!” Josie released Hope and ran over to hug her sister happily.

But Lizzie did not seem excited to finally have her sister back from prison world. “Did I see you kiss Hope? Or was I hallucinating?” The blonde asked in confusion.

“Does it matter? I’m back! Safe and sound.” Josie announced.

“Why do you and Hope keep saying “I’m back” like I haven’t seen you both just hours ago?” Lizzie shook her head and looked at the clock. “And it’s fuckin 4am! Why did you wake me up and make me see things like the both of you kissing. This dream is weird and annoying!” Lizzie announced as she pulled up the covers and went back to sleep.

Josie and Hope exchanged confused looks. Did Lizzie say she just saw them hours ago? But they were gone for 5 weeks! Josie moved closer to the digital clock that also stated the date.

“Hope….I think we came back the same date and time I actually left.” Josie announced.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know i promised longer chapters and am delivering it but i feel like I'm clamping too many events into one chapter? Is it too much?


	10. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?

Hope and Josie cuddled in bed in the tribrid’s room that night after leaving the twins’ room but they could not sleep. The morning sun was already shining bright into Hope’s room. Things were way more complicated now. They had come back in time. As if time did not move at all since Josie disappeared into the prison world. They guessed because they used Josie’s first original ascendant, they came back at that original time? Why didn’t Bonnie tell them about this new time travel information? Or was she even aware? And not to mentioned, they now finally found the way to end the merge curse but it involved deaths of other loved ones!

“When I turn 22, just… let me die..” Josie told Hope her decision, stroking her lover’s cheek gently.

“No way I’m letting that happen. Neither you nor Lizzie is dying. We just need to find my aunt Freya to find a way out of this.” Hope shook her head.

“And no way am I letting you die too, Hope.” Josie stated.

“It’s fine, Jo. I can die and still come back alive.” Hope assured, stroking her girlfriend’s hair.

“What if that doesn’t break the curse? Turning vamp is almost like bluffing death. And are you saying that you’ll turn your Aunt Freya too? You might both lose your witch powers too.” Josie highlighted.

“There must be a loophole other than this death method.” Hope shut her eyes to think.

“You should sleep, Hope.” Josie comforted with a peck on the tribrid’s lips.

But Hope pulled Josie back for a deeper kiss before telling her. “I love you.”

Josie paused for a long while because she was not the type who would blurt out the L-word like most people would when they are in love. Yes, she’s in love with Hope. She loves Hope. So much so that she would die for Hope. And this time she wanted to say that to her with all her heart.

“I love you too.” Josie finally confessed and kissed her tribrid passionately.

Hope returned the passion with more gust, her fingers already finding Josie’s blouse buttons and undoing them without breaking their kiss.

But two hard knocks on the door broke their kiss. Followed by a familiar voice.

“Hope?”

It was Landon’s voice.

“Babe?” he called again.

“Oh fuck!” Hope mouthed, remembering they were about five weeks back in time.

“Shit!” Josie gasped and jumped off the bed, remembering as well. “You haven’t broken up with him yet.”

“No shit, Jo.” Hope concurred.

“What do I do now?” Josie asked as she looked around the room. “Hide?”

Hope shook her head.

“Oh, invisible spell!” Josie suggested.

“You don’t need to hide.” Hope decided. “Just open the door. He won’t suspect anything. We just came back from a girls’ spa bonding session, remember?”

“Right!” Josie then double-checked. “You sure we don’t look like we….erm…over-bonded?”

Hope almost laughed at that. “Just button up and open the door, Jo.”

Josie nodded and quickly buttoned up her blouse. She opened the door, greeting the ex-boyfriend with a smile. “Hey Landon.”

Hope face-palmed at Josie’s over-acting.

Landon was surprised alright. He stared at a friendly looking Josie for the first time in a long time. Last time he checked, this ex went bat-shit mad at him.

“Ah…Hi Jo…sie!” Landon greeted back, remembering to call her Josie and not Jo. He also peeped a little into the room to find Hope sitting on her bed, smiling awkwardly.

“I was just about to leave.” Josie announced as she took a step toward the door while Landon took a step into the room.

“I guess your bonding time at the spa went well?” Landon noted to the girls.

“So well you had no idea.” Josie fake-chuckled and got a WTF stare from Hope so the siphon quickly excused herself again. “I should go. Bye!”

When Josie turned on her heel and trotted away from Hope’s room, Landon shook his head and grinned at Hope. “Wow! This spa idea really worked out well, eh?”

Hope could hardly return the smile. She just sighed out loud, wondering how she was going to break up with him a second time.

=====

“Where were you?” Lizzie asked when Josie got back to her room.

“Er….woke up earlier and… went for a walk?” Josie randomly thought that out.

She hated all her fake responses so far but Lizzie seemed to believe her. Or rather not bothered about it at all.

“Oh, I swear you won’t believe the dream I had last night…” Lizzie reported.

“Don’t tell me, Lizzie.” Josie interrupted with a yawn, realizing she was indeed really sleepy now and dropped face down on her bed. “Coz I know the dream, Lizzie. You saw Hope and I kiss.”

“What? How did you know?!” Lizzie moved to her sister on the bed and shook her. “Don’t tell me our twin connection has reached a new level. This is the first time we have the same dream, Jo!”

“Yeah yeah… please let me sleep now… it’s a Sunday.” Josie muttered as she found herself drifting to sleep.

Josie had no idea how long she slept but she was woken up by those familiar lovely tribrid kisses.

“Hmm..” she smiled sleepily at Hope who had snuggled into her side.

“Lizzie’s with Sebastian..” Hope reported.

“Nice.” Josie enveloped her girlfriend into her arms comfortably.

“I still haven’t broken up with Landon though..” Hope whispered. “It’s not easy doing it a second time.”

“It’s fine…just rest first. We haven’t slept much.” Josie gently kissed the shorter girl’s forehead.

Hope smiled in appreciation at her girlfriend. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep in Josie’s warm arms.

=====

Hope turned to her side as she pulled Josie’s arm to wrap around her waist. She loved this spooning position when they slept. She was about to drift back to sleep when she felt something at her foot. It was not Josie for sure. The tribrid slowly opened her eyes to check and realized it was Lizzie sitting on Josie’s bed. And staring hard at her!

“What the fuck, Lizzie?!” Hope jolted up awake. In the process, she woke Josie up as well.

“I have been sitting here for half an hour…” Lizzie said with a suspicious look. “THIS does not look like a normal girls’ slumber party.”

“Lizzie…” Josie rolled her tired eyes at her sister.

“It wasn’t a dream right? Jo?” Lizzie pointed an accusing finger at her sister and her friend. “I did see the both of you last night! KISSING!”

Hope and Josie exchanged tired looks and then nodded to Lizzie.

“Now start from the very beginning!” Lizzie demanded. “WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED?”

And the two lovebirds told the blonde everything from the beginning. EVERYTHING.

====

Landon was waiting for Hope in the dining hall. He already had her lunch prepared. He had let the tribrid go back to sleep earlier since she told him she was still very tired from the lack of sleep. He assumed she likely had long conversations with Josie last night that lasted till morning. He was glad that they were finally getting along and that Josie was now no longer mad at him.

“Landon..”

He heard someone calling his name but it was not Hope. It was Lizzie.

“Errr..yes?” He looked wary and wondered what snide remark Lizzie was going to throw at him this time. For one, she did not call him any names which was weird.

“Listen.” Lizzie pursed her lips. “You might wanna sit down for this.”

“I’m already seated.” Landon looked at Lizzie confused now.

“Right.” Lizzie took a seat in front of Landon. “Hope won’t be here for lunch. Sorry. She and Josie had to go on a trip to visit our witch aunts. Just know that it’s an important witch mission.”

“What’s the urgency and why can’t she tell me herself?”

“Well, coz I offered to pass the message.” Lizzie shrugged.

“What is going on, Lizzie?” Landon asked, feeling suspicious now.

“Sigh..” Lizzie could not believe she offered to help Hope as a messenger.. again! But she had to admit it would definitely suck to have to break up with the same guy twice over the same reason - her sister. “Ok, I think you deserved the truth. So here goes…Hope broke up with you 5 weeks ago. Or was it 3? Whatever, doesn’t matter. Truth is she broke up with you weeks ago and time travelled back here where the break-up hasn’t happened. That’s why you’re clueless now…”

Landon looked even more confused now. “What?! I don’t understand!”

“Urgh!” Lizzie then took breather. This was harder than she thought. “Ok, let me work out how to tell you all this in the shortest, most tactful, reasonable way for your mop head brain to digest…coz honestly it was not easy for me to digest earlier.”

But before Lizzie could spill more, she received a text from Hope that said _“Don’t tell him, Lizzie. I think it is only right I do this myself even if it’s a second time. It’s fine. Tell him I’ll talk to him after I come back.”_

======

“Were you texting Freya?” Josie asked when she noticed Hope had finished texting someone before starting the car.

The girls were on the way to Bonnie’s house as their first stop. After which they would head to New Orleans to pay Freya a visit later.

Hope shook her head. “It was Lizzie. Told her not to break the news to Landon since I feel it’s only right I do it in person with him. I’ll do it later. After this trip.”

“Right.” Josie nodded. “I understand. I would be pissed if you broke up with me through my sister as the messenger.”

“For now, let’s just focus on finding a way to not die in each other’s arms in the near future.” Hope reached out to hold Josie’s hand as she drove.

“So, does this mean I have to pretend to be your non-girlfriend for now?” Josie checked.

“No, we’re not in school now.”

“When we get back to school?”

“Jo, you know until I tell Landon, then we could…”

“I know…” Josie felt a little uneasy. Her insecurities were acting up again. “I just…don’t know if you may…”

“What? Change my mind?” Hope then assured with a tighter squeeze on Josie’s hand. “I’m not!”

Josie squeezed her hand back, contented with that assurance from the girlfriend. She hated how insecure she could sometimes be. It was this part of her that put her into depression every time someone broke up with her. She could not imagine if Hope left her. The thought scared her so much she knew she would dive into black magic again if that happens.

“Oh shit!” Josie exclaimed suddenly, remembering something. “I left something in the prison world!!”

“What?!” Hope asked. “Is it important?!”

“I guess so…” Josie noted. “Hope, I left the mora miserium there! You asked if I bubble wrap it and so I took the thing with me to the storeroom searching for some bubble wrap and tape to wrap it. I think I left it in the storeroom and forgot to put it back in my backpack!”

“It’s fine, Jo.” Hope comforted the girlfriend. “You don’t need that thing. Let’s try not to practice black magic. We could also check with my Aunt Freya on ways to cure your side effects if you need to do such magic, ok?”

Josie nodded and then asked. “What if my uncle finds it and breaks it?”

“Well then, we just have to pray that it doesn’t affect you in this world.” Hope noted.

When the girls finally arrived at Bonnie’s, Josie introduced Hope and the older witch greeted Hope like it was the first time they met. Hope realized it again they were five weeks behind time where they obviously had not met yet.

“Josie didn’t tell me she brought company for this urgent visit. And a Mikaelson?” Bonnie raised a brow but displayed a friendly smile at Hope. “They are mostly bad news but you definitely don’t look like bad news to me, especially since Josie seems to be glowing. A far cry from the last time she visited me?”

“Aunt Bonnie…” Josie could feel herself blushing at Bonnie’s slight teasing.

“But I’m afraid I may be bad news.. in a way...” Hope admitted to Bonnie with a sad smile. “That’s actually why we’re here, Ms Bennett. We found the answers to end the merge curse but..”

“How?” Bonnie interrupted.

“Aunt Bonnie. First of all, you need to know that we kinda time travelled back in time.” Josie explained. “The ascendant I created with Lizzie, I need to know if it’s any different from the past ascendants created by my coven. I actually used it to get into the prison world but when I came back, I came back the exact time I left.”

“Wait…but you can’t do it without my blood..” Bonnie was thinking aloud. “You….you took my blood last week! That music box?”

“Yes, I did and I’m sorry, Aunt Bonnie. I needed answers from Kai on the curse of the merge and we actually got some answers.” Josie added. “You may wanna sit down for this. We’ll tell you everything from the beginning.”

So, Josie and Hope related the whole prison world story to Bonnie, of course taking out unnecessary parts like their romantic prison dates. After hearing the time travelling adventures of Josie and Hope in the prison world, Bonnie first question was on Kai’s possible escape.

“The ascendant!! You gave it to him?” Bonnie asked quickly.

“Don’t worry, Ms Bennett. We tricked him into thinking he still has one ascendant hidden by your special cloaking spell. But we took all four ascendants back with us.” Hope reported.

“Ok..smart move, girls.” Bonnie heaved a sigh of relief but she still needed to be sure so she asked to see all the ascendants. “Did you bring the ascendants?” 

“Yes.” Josie dug into her duffle bag to take out the four ascendants. “Aunt Bonnie, now how are these ascendants able to bring us back in time?”

Bonnie observed all four ascendants in detail as she answered Josie’s question. “I had no idea it would bring you back the exact time you left this world. The only difference these ascendants have from the past ascendants made by your coven is that there is no need for any celestial event to travel from that world back here. I’m not sure but perhaps that could have caused some kind of time glitch?”

Hope and Josie exchanged a shrug accepting the reason while Bonnie was still checking the ascendants carefully.

“Girls…” Bonnie took one ascendant up. “This one…..is a FAKE.”

“What?” Hope asked. “We used that uncloaking spell in Dr Saltzman’s office and got them!”

“My spell uncloaks everything, including fakes.” Bonnie highlighted.

“How can you tell it’s fake, Aunt Bonnie?” Josie had to ask.

“A couple of small gears is missing in this one.” Bonnie observed aloud and tapped a small part of the ascendant and the device fell apart into pieces. “Kai must have created a fake one to trick you girls or something.”

“Oh god! Of course, he’s capable of that! URGH!” Josie was frustrated at her uncle’s tricks again. “He probably did that in case I uncloaked it without his knowledge. Or if I won it from him. He couldn’t lie about the location of the real ascendant because of the truth stone.”

“Your uncle is one annoying pain in the ass alright!” Hope was mad too. “Now how do we know which ascendant is left in that world for him to uncloak now? Is it the 2018 one or the one Lizzie recently created?”

“I think it should be the Lizzie one.” Bonnie noted aloud. “These two ascendants are the exact replica and they are obviously the one the twins created. This other one and I presumed it’s the one Hope brought down with her, looks newer so I’m guessing the corresponding ascendant to Lizzie’s created one is with Kai now.”

“That means we have….” Hope recounted again. “I went to find Josie 3 weeks after she jumped into the prison world. So, we have 3 weeks before he gets into our world?”

“Or we could get back in there and steal the ascendant from him?” Josie threw out the idea.

“NO!” Bonnie and Hope dismissed that idea at the same time.

“We just need to fight another war with him in this world.” Hope said.

“I have to agree with Hope, as much as I hate to see him again. But he’s only killable in our world and it is probably time he’s killed here for good. We need to be very prepared.” Bonnie concurred.

“We’re heading to my aunt Freya’s later. I can ask for her help as well.” Hope offered.

“Aunt Bonnie, about ending our merge curse..” Josie highlighted. “Do you think there’s any other way around it? Any way that no one has to die?”

Bonnie sighed and shook her head. “There’s nothing else I’d know. Believe me, I have been searching for answers to end the merge curse for years and if this was an answer that could have been found in some ancient grimoires, I would have found it by now. The fact that Kai is the only one who knows the answer and he was not lying about it, I’m guessing he only got the information carried down from ancestors of the gemini coven.”

“Do you think if we can contact the gemini coven ancestors, we can get more answers?” Hope suggested. “My aunt Davina may know ways to contact these ancestors.”

“Coven ancestors are mostly only contactable through their own coven witches. Josie can try that but it would involve very strong magic, dark magic even. I’m not sure if Davina has a better, safer way.” Bonnie noted aloud.

“I get very bad side effects that also affects Lizzie whenever I do black magic, Aunt Bonnie.. I don’t think I should go there.” Josie admitted.

“Yeah, I heard about that from Lizzie. You could be getting these bad side effects because you’re a siphon. You don’t have magic blood internally to dispel the black magic side effects. I get side effects too even as a non-siphon witch but it is not as serious as yours.” Bonnie advised and then went to her spell cabinet to take out a small bottle from one of the drawers. “Take this. In case you have to resort to using black magic. I drink this to relieve the side effects. It works on me but I can’t guarantee it will help relieve yours completely.”

“Thank you, Aunt Bonnie.” Josie accepted the bottle.

“Maybe contacting the gemini coven ancestors is not a good idea.” Hope was worried about Josie’s health now if she were to use black magic. “Let’s hold this thought first.”

“Hope’s right.” Bonnie agreed as she too did not want Josie to take this risk. Then the older witch remembered something. “Listen, there’s someone who may know…”

“Someone from my coven?” Josie wondered aloud.

“Yes. A former gemini coven witch. A heretic who could still be alive in our world.” Bonnie nodded. “Valerie Tulle. She was from the coven from the early 1900s. Perhaps she knows more from the coven than Kai. Thing is I have no idea where she lives now. I would need to make a few calls around to find out.”

=====

Josie was rubbing her hands as Hope drove into the familiar streets of New Orleans. After Bonnie promised them she would call them once she managed to get hold of Valerie Tulle’s address, Hope and Josie did not waste time and headed to Freya’s while they wait for Bonnie’s call.

“You look nervous?” Hope had to ask after noticing Josie rubbing her hands.

“I..ah.. don’t think I left quite a good impression on Freya the last time I visited her.” Josie revealed.

“That’s nonsense! You blasted her memory of me back. She’s grateful.” Hope added.

“Are you sure? She told you?” 

Hope shrugged. “Kinda..I think.”

“Urgh.. I think she hates me.” Josie covered her face in her hands.

“She said you’re a smart witch for your age, Jo.” Hope highlighted.

“Really?” Josie felt slightly better and Hope nodded in assurance.

As soon as Hope parked her car in front of the Mikaelson residence, she grabbed Josie’s hand and walked up to her home with nostalgic excitement.

Muttering a special Mikaelson witch spell, Hope had opened the locked door and pulled Josie along into the huge empty main hall.

“Aunt Freya!!” Hope called out. “Aunt Keelin!!”

No one responded and Hope wondered if her aunts were out.

“Looks like no one’s home or they’re somewhere far in this huge house.” Josie noted aloud.

“Oh well, we’ll wait for them then.” Hope then winked at the girlfriend as she suggested. “How about we hang out in my room?”

“Oh yes! I want to see your room!!” Josie exclaimed as Hope pulled her up the stairs.

Hope Mikaelson’s room was beautiful, mainly because it had a balcony facing the romantic streets of New Orleans.

“It’s beautiful…” Josie gasped at the view. “And this room is twice as big as your dorm room.”

“Yeah, I know…” Hope smiled as she slipped her arms around Josie’s waist. “I have my own bathroom. We could make love on this big comfy rug too.”

“Oh god, are you seducing me already?” Josie leaned to kiss the tribrid tenderly.

“Yes..” Hope muttered in between passionate kisses and led Josie to the rug.

Josie broke the kiss as Hope laid on her back on the rug. Straddling the tribrid, Josie stared and held her beautiful auburn-haired girlfriend’s nape, thumbing her cheeks tenderly.

But before Josie could kiss her lovely girlfriend again, she heard a spell and found herself hurling off Hope’s body and landing hard against a wall.

Freya Mikaelson stood at the doorway with one spell-casting hand stretched out while the other arm carried a cute toddler boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took this long. Writer's block and all. Hope you like this update though.


	11. Rivals In Love

“Aunt Freya!!” Hope exclaimed. “What are you doing? That’s Josie!”

Freya nodded. “I know! But I thought she was attacking you, like she was strangling you?!”

“No, she was not!” Hope stood up and ran towards Josie who was lying on the floor in a daze.

“Hope, last time we met, you told me she was dating your boyfriend. I thought…” Freya reasoned. “I don’t know…that you girls were in some kind of fight?”

“We were not in a fight! It was the total opposite!” Hope explained as she checked on a dazed Josie, tenderly stroking the siphon witch’s cheek.

“Total opposite?” Freya frowned, still a little confused.

“We were making out, Aunt Freya!” Hope clarified.

“Oooh….” Freya got it. But maybe not totally. “Wait! I don’t understand. What happened to the boyfriend?”

“Long story short, he left Josie for me and I left him…” Hope sighed. “for her.”

“Woah…” Freya was impressed by her niece’s interesting turn of events in her love life.

“Woah..” Freya’s toddler son, Nik, mimicked his mother’s expression.

“Yes, Nik. Your cousin, Hope keeps surprising me with interesting developments every time. Now she brought her new girlfriend who happened to be someone who blasted me unconscious on our first meet.” Freya told her son animatedly.

“I probably deserved that..” Josie admitted when she was conscious enough to sit up and speak. “I’m sorry, Ms Mikaelson.”

“Last time I checked, I thought we were on first name basis, Josie.” Freya moved over and held her free hand out to Josie to help her up, but mostly as a truce as well. “Guess we’re even now?”

Josie accepted the older witch’s hand and stood up. “Thank you, Freya.”

“If I knew Hope was bringing someone she was dating, I wouldn’t have reacted that way.” Freya added. “You girls should really learn how to warn in advance? I’m not a fan of surprises.”

“Sorry, Aunt Freya.” Hope apologized, remembering she called her aunt that she needed to visit her about something important but did not highlight she was bringing anyone.

“Sorry.” Nik the toddler mimicked his cousin.

“Hey, Nikki!” Hope beamed at her little adorable cousin. “You miss me? Remember me?”

“You keep calling him Nikki...” Freya chuckled. “People may think he’s a girl.”

“Hopey!!” the toddler greeted his only cousin with his arms opened.

Hope scooped the toddler into her arms, elated the boy remembered her. “We have our own nicknames for each other, Aunt Freya. Let us be.”

“He’s so cute!!” Josie could not help but play with the little one’s hand.

=====

“Hold on! You’re telling me that tall pretty girl I just met is actually Hope’s girlfriend?” Keelin checked with her wife as they were preparing dinner in the kitchen while Hope and Josie sat in the living room playing with Little Nik. “Our Hope? Our Hope is finally dating a girl?”

“That’s what I said.” Freya nodded. “And get this. They both dated the same boy. They were rivals in love.”

“NO WAYYYYY…” Keelin looked at her wife wide-eyed. "Now that's the kind of love story I can get behind!"

=====

“This dinner was lovely. Thank you so much.” Josie thanked her hosts, Freya and Keelin.

“You’re welcome, Josie.” Keelin smiled at the brunette. “It’s the first time Hope brought someone she’s dating home so I had to make the extra effort.”

Josie blushed at that revelation that she was Hope’s first person to bring home to meet the family. Even Landon did not get that privilege.

“Wait a minute.” Keelin took a closer look at Josie seated opposite her. “I think I remember you now! I’ve seen you before!”

“What are you talking about, Keelin?” Freya reminded her wife. “Today’s the first time you met Josie.”

“No, I knew Josie looked familiar.” Keelin recalled. “Freya! We saw Josie years ago! When we visited Hope at Salvatore’s! Just before we had Nik?”

“I don’t really recall..” Freya shook her head. “Or I would have recognized Josie when she visited me at the bar months ago?”

“Oh….wait. I think it was just me. You were in the headmaster’s office at that time.” Keelin rubbed her chin as she gathered more memories. “It was Hope who was with me and she brought me on a tour around the school.”

“Aunt Keelin!!” Hope started to remember too.

“Yeah…. I remember Josie.” Keelin smiled cheekily at Hope. “She was Hope’s first girl crush. I remember asking Hope to point her out to me.”

“Oh my god.” Hope covered her face. “This is embarrassing.” 

“What’s so embarrassing?! You got the girl you crushed on, Hope!” Keelin lifted her hand up for a high five with Hope. “Years later but that’s still a win!”

Hope lightly high-fived Keelin, while her other hand still covered her face.

“Ermm, for what’s it’s worth. I was actually already crushing on Hope for a long 3 months then.” Josie revealed with a sheepish smile.

“And you both didn’t get together then?!” Keelin asked the obvious.

“Josie burnt my room.” Hope highlighted as she sipped her drink.

“WHAT?!” Both Keelin and Freya exclaimed.

“Why?” Keelin had to ask.

“It’s…. a long story..” Josie muttered, feeling more embarrassed now.

“Oh.. Josie sweetie. Did you gay panicked?” Keelin guessed out loud.

Hope almost spit out her drink as she stifled a laugh. “She sure did.”

=====

Freya folded her arms in deep thought after hearing Hope and Josie’s recent discoveries in the prison world. The two girls were gathered in Freya’s library after dinner while Keelin had gone to put Little Nik to bed.

“How am I not aware of this Mikaelson curse on the gemini coven?” Freya shook her head. “Even if I was hardly with my mother, Kol would have known and told me about this. Especially if it’s a curse that carries down generations.”

“I did ask Uncle Kol about this. He’s clueless as well.” Hope offered.

“Well. Kol wasn’t as close to mother as Finn was.” Freya sighed out loud. “Death of Mikaelson witch line? This affects my son as well. Kol and Rebakah not likely since they lost their witch powers long ago. Gosh, my mother can still be an eternal curse even when she’s dead.”

“Believe me, Freya. I don’t wish for any Mikaelson deaths just to end this curse on me and my sister. We are not going to let anyone die.” Josie quickly added. “We are hoping this Valerie Tulle has more answers that can be useful.”

“I always believe there’s a loophole in everything. We just hope this person has the answers we need.” Freya then changed the subject to another important subject. “Now, how powerful is this mad uncle of yours that we are expecting in 3 weeks?”

“Well, he’s a heretic but it’s more like his serial killing psychotic ways we have to deal with.” Josie pointed out.

“That’s a piece of cake. We have dealt with more powerful psychopaths and ruthless killers.” Freya then added another subject. “What’s this black magic problem that you mentioned?”

Josie and Hope detailed Josie’s condition whenever she used black magic as well as the possibility that Josie might be harmed in a bad way if Kai were to bring the mora miserium into their real world and broke it. 

“Do you think there’s a way to prevent that black magic from affecting Josie?” Hope asked.

“Here’s what I know. Once that sand clock breaks it will consume Josie completely and there may not be bad rashes and such but Josie will not be in control of her nice self. She will have uncontrollable powers. Very deadly powers. Hope, think the hollow in you.”

Hope shook her head. “That is not good news at all.”

“Was it that bad?” Josie asked Hope in concern.

“I led an army and almost killed my mom, Jo. And I was only seven!” Hope admitted. “And when I was 15, as much as I was trying to control the hollow in me, it was internally killing me already.”

“Wait. I remember.” Josie recalled. “That was why your dad asked for my help in siphoning that thing out of you to him.”

“Well, you girls do share a lot of history…” Freya noted aloud. “And it sucks that we now know our history goes as far as centuries back in a bad way. Listen, a witch in Vincent’s circle may have a potion that can help Josie deal with the black magic stuff...”

“My aunt Bonnie gave me this.” Josie showed Freya a bottle.

Freya opened the bottle and took a sniff of the potion. “This only helps to get rid of the bad rash. It won’t help if the black magic from the mora miserium consumes you. The potion I’m talking about at least keeps a good part of you so you don’t turn into a merciless monster.”

“I understand. So, can we see this witch?” Josie asked.

“Well, she’s quite a high witch so she won’t see any witches she has not met before.” Freya informed. “I could go on your behalf tomorrow but…. I’d need someone to watch over Nik. Keelin will be working..” 

“I can babysit!” Josie volunteered, nodding her head excitedly. “I’m really good with kids.”

Freya smiled at Josie’s offer and eyed at Hope who nodded in assurance. “She’s definitely better than me with kids. The kids in school adore her. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of Nikki.”

“Well, thank you, girls… but just be aware. Nik can be quite a handful.” Freya warned.

=====

“Hope!!! Help me already!!!”

“I’m coming!!!” Hope responded to Josie as she quickly grabbed the box of fruity cereal and poured the contents into a small bowl but it spilled all over the kitchen top. “Shit!”

“How is he able to run and hide this fast?! He’s only THREE!” Josie was searching frantically in the living room.

“He’s a witch. He must be using magic unknowingly!” Hope hurried over to join Josie in the hall. “I mean I ever stopped a car with my 6-month baby magic brain.”

“You did?” Josie wondered if her girlfriend was exaggerating.

“That’s what my Uncle Elijah told me. Said I saved my dad’s girlfriend from an explosion by stopping a car she was driving me. Of course, I was saving myself too.” The tribrid shrugged. 

“Hope, should we do a location spell?” Josie thought of the most common way a witch would cheat at hide and seek.

“Don’t be ridiculous! He wouldn’t have run out of this house. We just have to lure him out with his favourite treat.” The tribrid then called out to her cousin. “NIKKI!!! I have your fruit loops!! Come out and get it!”

No sight or sound of the kid.

“Doesn’t help, Hope.” Josie noted aloud.

“Well, I still don’t get how you managed to lose him. I went to the bathroom just for a bit and that was all it took for you to lose him!” Hope retorted. “I thought you were good with kids!”

“All I did was just put him down while I turned around to get his water! It was just a split second!” Josie explained again while she searched the playroom. “How he disappeared in that short span of time? I have no idea. Should we call Freya?”

“What? No! We’re not giving up this easily!” Hope objected to calling her aunt and shouted for her cousin again. “NIK!!!!”

“Maybe Freya experienced this before. That he must have used some kind of magic before?” Josie asked.

“No, Jo. We’re not gonna let my aunt find out that we’re useless babysitters.”

“Ok, what kind of magic were you capable of when you were little and weren’t taught magic yet? Do you remember? Maybe some magic that comes naturally to Mikaelson witches?” Josie asked.

“I don’t remember a lot but I believe I just thought about stuff and the magic happens sometimes.” Hope informed as she started searching her aunt’s room with Josie. The tribrid even looking under her aunt’s bed but her cousin was nowhere to be found.

“Well, were you able to make yourself invisible then?” Josie asked.

“Wait! I think I did that before. I didn’t need to cast the spell at all. I just thought it and it happened.” Hope stood up as she related the vivid memory. “My mom was worried sick and thought she lost me. I think I was four or five then. That’s when she used a bracelet given by Uncle Kol and put it on my wrist to control my magic.”

“Ok, Hope. You know what to do then.” Josie moved to hold Hope’s hands, siphoning some magic. The two girls then casted the uncloaking spell together.

They finally see the boy sitting on the floor a few feet away, happily eating the bowl of fruit loops Hope had put down earlier. The girls also noticed something else in the boy’s possession. One of the ascendants. And it was broken.

And that was when an idea hit Josie.

=====

“We destroy the original ascendant, we destroy the world and Kai in it, right?” Josie asked Bonnie who astral projected herself at the Mikaelson’s residence later that evening. Hope and Josie had brought up the idea to Freya who was not too familiar with the prison worlds so they decided to request for Bonnie’s advice via astral projection.

“Doesn’t work that way, Josie. We need to kill Kai or sever its ties with Kai. Then it can be destroyed.” Bonnie highlighted.

“I know! And we know the spell to do just that.” Josie added.

“No, Josie. It only works when Kai is here. Physically in our world. As long as he’s still in the prison world, his ties could not be severed with that world.” Bonnie highlighted.

“Lizzie and I created that world. Why can’t we destroy it too?” Josie wondered aloud.

“You created that world tied only to your uncle.” Bonnie explained. “He dies, the world dies along with him. And he can’t die in that world. The only way is to kill him in our world.”

“Can the twins cut his ties to the prison world and tie it to another person in our world and then sever their ties to destroy the prison world?” Freya asked the Bennett witch.

Bonnie gave that a thought but finally shook her head. “I don’t think it can be untied and retied to someone else. Once tied to one person, it’s only that one person. At least that’s what the prison worlds were created for. Specifically tied to those they want to send to prison.”

Everyone else in the room sighed at the lost cause.

“Look, we just need to prepare ourselves. Plan a strategic trap for Kai when he comes into our world in three weeks.” Bonnie added. “Also, I’ve got some good news. I finally got hold of Valerie Tulle. I spoke to her and she’s agreed to see you girls. But you gotta head to San Jose. That’s where she lives now.”

“Looks like we have a plane to catch then.” Hope nodded to Josie.

“Well, before you girls do that, here’s the potion I got for Josie for her black magic control.” Freya remembered and offered what she managed to get for the young siphon earlier from her witch contact. “Josie, this potion is made with an additional link to Hope. The witch said it needed the blood of someone you love or matters a lot to you and luckily I always have a tube of Hope’s blood with me for any werewolf bite incidents here. Basically, with an element of Hope in the potion, it helps you especially when the black magic takes away all your emotions.”

=====

Valeria Tulle was a gracious host as she warmly welcomed Hope and Josie into her house. When Bonnie Bennett contacted her and told her about two girls’ request to find out more about the curse of the gemini merge, she was reluctant to help at first. But upon hearing that the girls were from Mystic Falls’ Salvatore Boarding School and one of them was the siphon twins she knew of, she told Bonnie she must meet the girls in person in order to help them.

“Thank you for inviting us, Ms Tulle.” Josie politely accepted the tea Valerie served. “You have no idea how important this is to us.”

“I’m sorry you have to travel this far to see me.” The nice blond lady told the two young witches as she sipped her tea. “But I’d be pleased to let you know that my grandmother kept a series of gemini coven journals here that can help you find answers. Most of which the witch world will have no access to. Since Josie’s a gemini coven witch, I’m happy to help.”

Hope and Josie exchanged excited looks and the tribrid added her thanks to the heretic. “It would mean so much to us, Ms Tulle. Thank you. I believe Bonnie told you about how we could end the curse of the merge? Do you know if there is any other way the curse can be lifted without any deaths?”

“You’re a 3rd generation Mikaelson witch, right?” Valerie checked, remembering what Bonnie told her before the girls’ visit.

Hope nodded.

“Do you still keep the old journals or grimoires of your grandmother or your grandaunt?” the heretic asked. “Because I’m sure the answers you seek may be found in them as well.”

“We have some of their grimoires. Not so much the journals. Those are very private to them I guess. We found nothing relating to the gemini coven.” Hope reported. 

“Ok, what I’m about to tell you was found in a journal dated centuries back. My grandmother was pretty much a journalist with a knack for investigating her coven’s history as far back to when the merge curse was set upon all gemini twins. I’m sure you are aware, your grandmother, Esther was the one who cursed the coven with the deadly merge. But my grandmother found that in the history of gemini twin merges since then, only one pair succeeded without the deaths of both twins and without the deaths of any Mikaelson witch as well. And note that none of the twins were turned vampires. Turning themselves would mean, well, prison time for us gemini coven witches. Like what happened to me. This merge incident that did not result in any deaths was covered up by the coven and never spoken of..”

Josie and Hope gasped at that revelation. Relieved there was a loophole after all.

“Before I go any further, I would like to ask a favour from you girls. I will give you all the information as well as the access to the journals my grandmother kept but I need your help in something else.” Valerie asked.

Hope and Josie nodded immediately. “Anything, Ms Tulle. Just tell us what is it you need.”

“Thank you. I know you’re both from the Salvatore school. And coincidentally, Stefan Salvatore and I shared a history together. We were….lovers at one point…” Valerie related and noted Josie knotting her brows at this revelation and quickly added. “Its was way back in 1800s, way before Caroline. And I was pregnant with his child before he was turned. But a man from my coven killed my unborn child. For centuries, that was what I believe. Until recently, when I visited a witch. A gypsy witch and she revealed that my child, a daughter was alive and had lived to this time as she was turned as a vampire when she was 17. I did not believe her at first but she told me that the unborn child was not killed but magically taken away from my womb and transferred to another who birthed her. That was when I believed her because I have witnessed such with my own eyes! How you, Josie, was transferred by our coven’s magic from Jo Parker to Caroline Forbes’ womb and came out into this world. Look at you now! All grown up and beautiful! And so may be my daughter who is… somewhere out there!”

Josie reached out to hold the heretic’s hands. “We will help you find your daughter, Valerie.”

“Yes, I know a special location spell that uses your blood to find those related to you.” Hope offered.

Valerie beamed. “That’s great! Thank you so much!”

=====

“This is where my grandmother’s journals were kept.” Valerie announced as she led Hope and Josie into the attic. On a table in the center of the room laid a few journals.

Valerie flipped opened one journal. “When Bonnie told me about what you both discovered about ending the merge curse and the consequences that come with it, I did a deep search in this library. This is the journal that tells of a secret merge that happened without any deaths. It happened in the 1700s. Back when my grandmother was still alive. When the merge happened and none of the twins died, the coven at first believed the curse was finally lifted. However, when it came to the next pair of twins who needed to merge, the deaths were back. That’s when my grandmother decided to find out exactly what happened in that merge that no one died. She interviewed one of the twins who eventually revealed to her what she did that could have stopped a merge death.” 

Josie and Hope looked wide-eyed at Valerie, awaiting the answer they were looking for.

“She performed another merge before her merge with her twin.” Valerie revealed.

The two teenagers shook their heads in confusion.

Valerie then closed the journal and reached for another journal. “Not a merge with her twin. But her lover.”

“So, her lover died?” Josie guessed out loud.

“No.” Valerie shook her head. “It’s another kind of merge. And it needs to be between a gemini witch and a Mikaelson witch…”

“What kind of merge?!” Josie quickly asked.

“Wait. Who was the Mikaelson witch? My grandmother? But she was the one who place the curse in the first place!” Hope was more confused.

“I thought it would be your grandmother but after much digging in these journals, I found that it was another witch from your bloodline, just not with the last name Mikaelson.” Valerie added. “I think it’s your grandaunt, Dahlia.”

“I have only heard evil stories about my grandaunt too. You’re telling me she actually helped those gemini twins?” Hope wondered aloud.

“Indeed. My grandmother was lucky enough to save Sofia’s journal, that’s the twin she interviewed.” Valerie continued. “Sofia wrote several entries about a powerful witch who fell deeply in love with her. I assumed it was your grandaunt, Dahlia since Sofia called her “Dah” in short in her entries. It was said that Dahlia helped Sofia escape an abusive marriage. During that time, Dahlia kept Sofia safe someplace else, hiding her away from her violent werewolf husband. Sofia was grateful and felt safe with Dahlia. The gemini witch then told Dahlia about the cursed twin merge that would happen in a few months. She begged Dahlia to save both her and her twin sister from the merge that would not break the rules of the powerful gemini coven. That was when Dahlia came out with a prior merge ritual to make sure Sofia and her sister survive the eventual twin merge. Which I think it kinda makes sense. A merge ritual between a gemini witch and the rival witch from the enemy’s bloodline who placed the curse? It could well end a curse, and in this case, it worked at least for one generation.” 

Valerie paused to look at the two girls who seemed to be still taking in the story and nodding for Valerie to go on.

“Right, so here goes... You were asking what kind of merge it was..” Valerie took in a breath as she announced to the pair sheepishly. “It’s a sex ritual.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter :)


	12. Not Again

Valerie waited quite a bit for Hope and Josie to finally break their silence. The two girls were stunned, obviously at Valerie’s last line.

The big reveal to end the merge without anyone dying was none other than SEX?! Between a gemini and a Mikaelson witch…who happened to be already happily fucking each other? Did Hope and Josie already break the curse without knowing?

“Wait. You’re saying we just need to have sex to end this?” Josie checked.

“Well, according to Sofia, yes?” Valerie then added. “Ok, this must seem really awkward for the two of you, especially if you two aren’t dating each other? Or.. are you?”

“Oh, I think what Josie meant is if it’s just sex, we probably lifted the curse several times already, Valerie.” Hope helped.

Valerie blinked a few times, trying catch what Hope meant but she caught it eventually. “Ooooh.. But no, not the type of ermm…normal teenage sex you girls have? It has to be a done in a ritual. You need to cast a spell and there’re certain sex positions and such. Thing is, though Sofia did explicitly explain the sex ritual, she did not specify the spell Dahlia used to initiate the ritual. I’m afraid you might need to dig your grandaunt’s grimoires to find that.”

====

“Did you know?!” Hope was on the phone with Freya.

“That Dahlia had a lover? And with a woman? NO!” Freya was as surprised as well. She might have grown up with her aunt Dahlia most of her young life but she had never seen Dahlia being involved with anyone. Then again, they spent centuries asleep as well. Freya was pretty sure Dahlia hated men. That was obvious. But women? She’d be damned she had no idea her aunt was actually a lesbian in love before.

“You sound like it was a bad thing she had a lady lover.” Hope noted.

“What? No! I just never seen her being in love. She was a wicked witch, Hope!! There was no love in her.” Freya shook her head as she rubbed her temples. “But I guess I was wrong. Even the most unfeeling person would fall in love.”

“And had some erotic sex too…” Hope raised a brow as she looked at Sofia’s journal detailing the sex ritual she did with Dahlia. “At least this is what I’m getting from Sofia’s journal.”

“Oh my god! How erotic?” Freya had to ask.

“Like tantric sex erotic… she even drew the sex positions. Oh boy, this is some Kamasutra shit, Aunt Freya!” Hope reported. “I don’t think I have done most of these positions. Since when does lesbian sex have so many positions? Oh wait! There’s a 69. That I have done and I’m sure Josie and I have no problems with that.”

“Ok, Hope. That’s enough..” Freya stopped her niece. Her curiosity might be killing her but she did not need her niece to spill all her favorite sex positions to her. 

“Aunt Freya.. Do you think this could be a gene thing?” Hope did not stop and wondered aloud. “Like, how the women in our bloodline are this sexually fluid and also into women? Did Auntie Bex get with a woman at one point before?”

Freya remembered Rebekah telling her before she did a threesome involving another woman before but she was not going to share this with her niece. Let Rebekah share it with her niece herself. “Ask her yourself, Hope.” Freya refocused. “Can you, ermm, take photos of all this from the journal and send it to me immediately?”

“You mean the sex drawings as well?”

“Yes, Hope. EVERYTHING that is related to breaking this merge curse. I need all the details to help you find the spell Dahlia casted for the sex ritual.” Freya clarified.

“Ok, you could also say you needed this stuff to improve your sex life..” Hope could not help but annoy her aunt further.

“Hope, I’m hanging up and you’re sending me everything.” Freya demanded. 

“Bye, Aunt Freya!” Hope chortled at her aunt.

=====

Valerie watched as Hope and Josie sat on the floor with a map and the heretic’s blood dropped on it. The two young witches linked their hands, crossed-arm style and were chanting a unique spell she had not heard before. Valerie got to give it to the Mikaelson witches for creating almost every original spell. Yet she found out from Josie that Hope and her aunt knew so many spells the witch world were not aware of.

When her blood started to travel on the map, Valerie stood up in excitement. She was getting close to finding her long lost daughter! She watched the blood moved north until it finally stopped at one point on the map. Hope and Josie stopped chanting by then and stared at the map as well.

“She’s in Mystic Falls!” Josie announced.

=====

“It’s just another type of merge ritual.” Josie shrugged as she reported to her father.

Hope and Josie, along with Valerie Tulle had finally arrived back in Salvatore School and were updating Alaric on their findings. Of course, they came to an agreement with Valerie they would leave the sex detail of the ritual out to Alaric for obvious reasons.

Alaric looked at Valerie to see if his daughter was telling the truth. Valerie the accomplice nodded quickly at Alaric, concurring what Josie said.

“So what kind of ritual?!” Alaric still wanted details. “This needs to go into the history books. This is important!”

“Well, Alaric. There’s a reason the gemini coven kept it a secret for centuries. It was a loophole they were… embarrassed about and I don’t think it should be recorded in the witch history books.” Valerie advised.

“But it saves lives, Valerie!! My daughters may have twins in the future and they may die too from their eventual merge! And so will the rest down the generations. They need to know.” Alaric protested.

“And they will. Through us. There’s just no need for publication.” Valerie added.

“She’s right, Dr Saltzman. My aunt has a lot of unknown witch theories and she doesn’t share with this school. Some things are best kept within the coven. It’s just out of respect.” Hope added.

Josie was giving Hope a worried look but Hope could not catch why her girlfriend was looking worried since Alaric seemed to agree with Valerie and Hope now.

“Alright. But at least tell me what the ritual is about.” Alaric asked again.

Maybe that was what Josie was worried about.

“Ermm… it basically a merge ritual. Like a union between a Mikaelson and Gemini witch.” Hope tried to explain in the most inexplicit way. “Josie and I just need to, ermm, merge our blood or something..?”

“Why do you sound so unsure?” Alaric had to ask.

“I’m not! You’re not a witch. You won’t understand even if I explained in detail to you.” Hope found herself sounding more defensive than it should be.

“Fine…” Alaric was a little taken aback by the tribrid’s response. “So you just need to cut your palms and join them?”

“Yeah, dad. Something like that.” Josie quickly replied. “We also need to cast some spell. Freya Mikaelson is helping us find that spell.”

Alaric nodded as he accepted the updates so far. “When must you do this ritual?”

“I guess any time before I turn 22?” Josie informed.

“Does Lizzie need to do this as well?” Alaric asked.

“NO!” Hope and Josie answered at the same time.

“Okayyy…there’s no need for such a repulsive reaction.” Alaric noted with a curious frown.

“Dad, about Valerie’s request…” Josie changed the subject to another matter.

“Yes. Yes! Of course Valerie can stay here. We’ll have the guest room ready for her.” Alaric nodded with a smile at the heretic.

“Thank you, Alaric. If it’s too much trouble I can stay at a motel nearby.” Valerie told the headmaster.

“There’s no need for that. You found the solution to save my daughters and even the Mikaelsons’ lives from the curse of merge. This is the least I can do to return the favour.” Alaric added. “Stay as long as you like. We’ll do our best to help you find your daughter as well.”

==== 

“A SEX RITUAL!?!” Lizzie exclaimed.

“Keep it down, Lizzie!” Josie told the sister as the three girls gathered in the tribrid’s room, after Hope and Josie had reported to the blonde about what they discovered during their 5-day trip. “Dad doesn’t know. We told him it’s just a simple blood merge ritual.”

“Of course we can’t tell him.” Lizzie could not imagine their parents’ reaction if they were to know. “Mom too.”

“It’s weird how my whole family knows about this sex ritual but your parents can’t know.” Hope compared.

“Seriously? All your aunts and uncles?” Lizzie asked.

“Aunt Freya called Auntie Bex and Uncle Kol with no shame telling them - Guys, Hope needs to do a sex ritual to save everyone’s lives! Like it was a heroic act!” Hope related. “Next thing I know, I got all these texts from them like SEX FUCKIN RITUAL?! My baby niece is all grown up!!”

“Damn… I wished I had cool aunts and uncles…who are proud of me having erotic sex.” Lizzie pouted in envy.

“Lizzie, we’re doing it to save you as well. Not only just for pleasure. It’s a 2-hour ritual, mind you.” Josie highlighted.

“Woah…I have never had sex THAT long.” Lizzie noted aloud. “That’s crazy. Can you imagine the amount of calories you both will lose?”

“But that’s not what I’m concerned about after the ritual.” Josie sighed. “Even If we live past this merge, our descendants will still suffer the same deadly fate of the merge.”

“Jo, why are you thinking that far already?” Lizzie shook her head at her sister.

“That was why you were looking worried when your dad mentioned that…” Hope looked at her girlfriend in concern.

“And can you imagine if we got married, Hope? Like if we have kids and they have to….” Josie stopped herself. “Oh my god! I’m just a teenager and I’m thinking this far!!” Josie quickly shook her head.

“Sis, you’re gonna scare Hope away with that talk. Marriage and kids? Now?!” Lizzie warned jokingly.

“I’m talking about future deaths! And incest to stop it!” Josie defended herself.

“Jo, calm down. Hope doesn’t need hear more of this.” Lizzie advised. 

But the tribrid was fine and understood where Josie was coming from. “Jo, we’ll work it out.” Hope comforted as she stroked Josie’s arm. “I love you and we will stick together no matter what.”

Josie nodded and leaned in to kiss Hope. Yeah, she loves her this much too.

“Ok, get a room please!” Lizzie rolled her eyes at the two girls kissing then remembered she was in Hope’s room. “Great, I’m in that room.”

The two girls broke their kiss and smiled sheepishly at Lizzie. “Sorry..”

“Hey, don’t apologize to me. You have someone else you need to worry about.” Lizzie shrugged and then looked at Hope. “He’s been pestering me for five freaking days when the both of you were away. Said you hardly replied to his calls and texts.”

“Oh…” Hope noted solemnly. “Right… Landon.”

=====

How do you break up with someone a second time within weeks because time travel fucked with you?

Hope thought to herself as she was walking toward the dock where Raf had informed Hope where Landon should be at. But as Hope approached the dock, she noticed something was amiss. Landon was not there but she sensed there was some form of struggle that happened just a while ago. She could smell danger and something like a ‘dead’ smell. The tribrid hoped Landon was not dead dead. She was slightly relieved when she could still sense his slight fresh scent. She used her werewolf sense of smell to follow Landon’s scent which was leading somewhere towards the cemetery not too far away.

The tribrid finally reached a crypt where she could now hear voices. As she hid herself in the crypt, she could hear two men talking.

“How long do we have to wait?” one man asked the other.

“I don’t know. As soon as he comes back up, I know we’ll have the ultimate monster.” The other answered.

“How are you sure he’s coming back up?”

“He loves the tribrid. Of course, he’ll come back.”

“Wait! Did you write that part down? How am I not aware?”

“HERE! I wrote in at the end. ‘P.S. his possible weakness – The tribrid. The both of them are in love with each other.’ Gotta give it to myself that I added this point at the last minute before we threw him in.”

“Dude, we don’t even remember how he looks. We should have taken a photo of him before he got in the hole and erased our memories about this so-called phoenix son of Malivore!”

“Chad! It doesn’t matter. He would be one invincible phoenix who can’t die. I don’t care how he looks. He just needs to showcase his powers and we know it’s him. Then he’ll be able to seduce the tribrid and together we will destroy her easily.”

Hope gasped in shock. Oh NO! Landon was thrown into Malivore. And by the necromancer! Hope remembered that voice. Too bad they did not know she was immune to the Malivore memory erase. The tribrid decided to surprise them.

“Talking about me?”

The necromancer and his assistant, Chad turned to see the auburn-haired girl who made that remark and appeared standing coolly behind them.

“How in the world?!” The necromancer exclaimed upon recognizing Hope.

“Who’s she?” Chad asked.

“The tribrid, you idiot! Did you not know you were being followed?” The necromancer scolded his assistant.

“I…I… How the fuck do I know? I don’t remember shit!!” Chad protested.

Before the necromancer and Chad could do anything, Hope had casted a spell that had Chad and Necromancer pinned to the wall.

“Now, let me see..” Hope move to flip the notebook the necromancer was referring to when he was talking to Chad. “So, I see you have a whole plan here. Plan A and a plan B.. I believe you have moved on to Plan B? Since you can’t seem to find the mora miserium in the school? Ahh… I see you have been spying on us?”

“Listen…Hope. It’s Hope right? I remember dearly.” The necromancer smiled at the powerful tribrid. “Perhaps we could come to a deal?”

“What deal? You already sent my ex-boyfriend into that black pit over there and expect him to come out to kill me!” Hope reminded.

“Wait! Ex-boyfriend?” Chad looked confused and then looked at his master. “They broke up! Why didn’t you put that in your notebook, huh?!”

“You tell me! I’m confused too since I don’t remember shit as well!” The necromancer argued back.

“Tell me what should I do with you two imbeciles now?” Hope tightened her pin on the two men.

Just then, they all heard a bubbling noise. Hope and the two men looked at the black pit. Something was coming out of the black goo.

“HAHA!! Just in time to meet your match, tribrid! Our invincible evil master is finally here!” The necromancer introduced.

“Shit…” Hope muttered. She did not get the chance to break up with Landon but she sure did not ask to have him turn evil mud-phoenix hybrid for that break up. She still wondered how she was going to fight this new Landon-Malivore. That enemy she had be dying to kill all this time. She could cast a spell to pin the necromancer and his minion permanently while she fought Malivore. Hope muttered that spell as she readied herself to face her enemy.

The black figure finally pulled out of the pool of goo and faced Hope. He wiped his face, displaying a familiar smile.

“Master Malivore! Meet your match! The tribrid! Your ultimate enemy! Kill her before she gets to destroy you!” The necromancer announced again like an animated Master of Ceremony for a boxing match.

“Hello Hope.” The monster greeted her. “Miss me?”

Hope swallowed as she corrected the necromancer. “He’s not Malivore…”

Hope quickly casted a hurling spell but it was too late as the monster casted his own hurling spell that was way faster and powerful than hers. The tribrid found herself landing so hard against the wall she lost her consciousness immediately.

“Hmm, now why isn’t Josie with you? I miss my favourite niece already.” Kai Parker walked over to ask an unconscious Hope.

=====

Josie woke up to a jolt. Something was wrong. In the first place, why was she asleep on her desk? Had she doze off doing her homework? Probably. But where was Hope? Yes, that was what was bothering her. Like Hope was going somewhere but she could not remember where she was supposed to be?

Lizzie had just run into their room. “JO!” her sister looked at her. “Where’s Hope? I had this weird feeling she’s missing! When Raf asked me if I knew where Hope was, I was like. Of course, I know and then I forgot what I was going to say! And Raf said he felt the same thing too.”

“I don’t know too. Like I know she was going somewhere to look for someone but how is it I don’t know who and where? I mean, Hope and I promised to tell each other our whereabouts at all times! I mean, especially after what she did with Malivore before…” Josie revealed.

=====

Hope woke up, feeling awfully weak. She felt powerless. She realized she was tied with heavy chains around a chair she was placed in. Muttering a spell, Hope realized her powers were too weak to have the spell executed. She also found that she was seated very near the edge of the black Malivore pit.

“Ahh… she awakes.” The necromancer noted as he approached her. “Don’t bother fighting those chains, tribrid. My new monster managed to siphon away all your powers.”

“Where’s Kai?” Hope asked, also wondering how the fuck did Kai managed to get back here this way? He was not expected to be here until two weeks later if he used the ascendant. But somehow, he found the Malivore pit to get back here? Could Josie have told him about this before?

“Oh, he’s gone to do another errand. Some revenge errand which I am all for it as well. It seemed like Kai and I have the same agenda. I had no idea I would be getting another powerful partner in crime. Lucky me!” Necromancer said.

“What revenge errand?!” Hope demanded as she tried to shake those chain off to no avail.

“Infiltrate the Salvatore school and kill his remaining relatives? He said he’ll have no issue since they won’t remember him after he jumped into Malivore to get here.” The necromancer revealed.

“FUCK!” Hope cursed and cried out. “Let me go!!” Hope needed to save her friends. Josie and everyone else would not know he was Kai, the evil uncle! Not only that. Kai seemed way more powerful now. She could feel his deadly powers when he threw off her own repel spell easily with his.

“Ahh…they must be important to you!” Necromancer fake-pouted at Hope. “Too bad, they’ll soon forget you too.”

“What?” Hope remembered how close she was to the malivore pit now. She shook her head as she pleaded. “No, please! Don’t do this! I can’t let them forget me. I can’t let her forget me again!! Not again! PLEASE!”

“Ohhhh.. She begs!” The necromancer laughed. “Weren’t you the one not up to negotiate a deal with me?”

“Then tell me the deal now! I’ll do it!” Hope quickly offered. Anything so that Josie would not forget her again.

“Hmm, let’s see…” the necromancer rubbed his chin. “I do need you to do something for me.”

“Anything!” Hope offered without a thought. Whatever it was she would find a way to kill him before she did anything for him anyway.

“Oh, it’s an easy task.” The necromancer bent down to face Hope closer. “I just need you to get that ex-boyfriend back.”

“What do you mean? He’s in Malivore now!” Hope reminded.

“Exactly!” The necromancer placed his hands on both sides of Hope’s arms, drawing that evil smile. “You’re going in there to get him out!”

“NOOO!” Hope shouted. She felt the necromancer lightly pushing her as she found herself falling backwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the cliffhanger, even though Hope is literally hanging there like....


	13. Kai War

“ASCENDIA!”

Hope gasped in surprise as she found herself floating in mid-air, a few inches away from landing into that damn Malivore pit again. She then heard another loud spell casted and she was moved, landing safely on the ground further away from the pit.

“JOSIE!” Hope exclaimed in relief as she spotted her girlfriend who saved her from dropping into the pit.

But Josie was too busy to acknowledge Hope. She was busy casting attacking spells against the necromancer. The necromancer seemed to have lost his feat when Josie had him pinned against a pillar and had the man tied up with some chains she found nearby.

“Who the hell are you and why were you trying to push my girlfriend down that pit?” Josie demanded.

“I’m the ALMIGHTY…..”

“Annoying necromancer.” Hope, who managed to release herself from her chains, interrupted the necromancer’s proud introduction with her own version, causing the necromancer to grunt in annoyance.

Josie opened her arms to the tribrid walking over to her. “Are you ok?” 

“I’m fine. Lost quite a bit of my powers. Your mad uncle siphoned them away.” Hope reported as she found momentary comfort lying her head on the shoulder of her trusty girlfriend who saved her from another memory erase jump.

“Uncle Kai?” Josie checked.

Hope nodded and then wondered aloud. “Wait. You remember him? He jumped into the malivore pit to get here instead of using the ascendant.”

“I did the spell to purge memories back again. Something felt missing so I did the spell. Did Landon jump? He was the missing piece.” Josie informed.

“He did. Thanks to this asshole who threw him in.” Hope bobbed her head at the necromancer.

“It was his destiny!!” The necromancer defended himself. “He’s malivore!”

“Well, where’s Malivore then? Instead we got Kai out here.” Hope added and then quickly asked Josie. “Jo, Kai went to the school! Did you see him?”

Josie shook her head. “No. As soon as I purged all memories back, I did a location spell to find you. Oh no, he must be at the school when I was heading here to look for you. Dad and everyone there are definitely not ready to face him. We aren’t expecting him this soon!”

“I know. We need to go.” Hope advised. “He seemed more powerful this time.”

“Hey, wait! What about me?” The necromancer called out to the two girls leaving the crypt, totally ignoring him.

=====

“So what’s the plan?” Josie asked as she and Hope ran towards the school.

“Kill him before he kills your family?” Hope could not think of any strategy now. It was too late for that now. The Kai war was 2 weeks early.

“Hope, when dealing with my uncle, we need a plan.” Josie pulled the arm of the tribrid to stop in their tracks. “I have fought war games with him in the prison world to know how he anticipates my attack. We need to catch him by surprise.”

“I think it’s too late for surprises.” Hope was looking over Josie’s shoulder.

The taller girl turned around and saw what her girlfriend meant. There was smoke in the distant. Seemed like the school was on fire. Without much to discuss now, the girls took off towards the school.

As soon as the girls reached the school gate, they found the school burning but several students were alive and well standing outside. It looked like everyone managed to get out safe and sound but there was still no sign of Lizzie and Alaric. Hope and Josie saw Emma and quickly approached her.

“Where’s my dad and sister?!” Josie asked anxiously.

“Kai took them with him.” Emma reported. “He blew up the school in flames with just a snap of his fingers. I swear he’s filled with a load of black magic for him to be that powerful. Luckily, I managed to put in place a protection spell on everyone before he lit up the place.”

“He must have found the sand clock and got the black magic out of it.” Josie highlighted to Hope.

“And he’s definitely expecting you, Josie.” Emma handed Josie a note. “He said he wants the whole family reunion first before he destroys The Saltzmans.”

“Why does he need to kill everyone in the school if he just wants the Saltzmans?!” Hope shook her head at the burning school.

“Just to prove he’s that powerful and not easily defeated?” Emma sighed. “And still a sociopath too.”

“The note has nothing written on it..” Josie noted.

“He said that it is only visible to you, Josie. You need to cast the spell to uncloak the invisible ink.” Emma said.

Josie muttered the uncloaking spell and the words appeared.

“What does it say, Jo? I still can’t see it.” Hope asked.

“Just the location of where they’re at and that I need to be there alone, no magic no weapons or my dad and sister dies.” Josie reported.

“I’ll go with you.” Hope said without a thought.

“No, Hope. He’ll kill my family. Now we really need a plan.”

=====

Alaric woke up to a horrible headache and some loud singing. He tried to reach to rub the back of his head but realized he was chained up in a chair. When Kai infiltrated the school, it caught him by surprise. He could not get to his stash of weapons in time when the heretic took an unconscious Lizzie hostage. Alaric could only surrender and let the evil brother-in-law knock him out too.

More loud singing made his headache worse. Kai was singing to annoy him as well.

“Dad..”

Alaric turned to see his blond daughter also chained up in a chair as well. He recognized the place they were kidnapped in now. The karaoke bar where Bonnie last sent Kai to the prison world.

“Lizzie, don’t worry. We’ll get out of here. He won’t kill us until Josie gets here. We got some time to figure out how to escape.” Alaric assured his daughter.

“But you know damn well Josie will get here. She’ll get here wanting to save us, only to get lured to have him kill all of us!” Lizzie cried.

Alaric shook his head as he looked where Kai was singing on the stage. “No way I’m letting him kill my girls.”

“Ahhh… I see y’all awake now!” Kai announced through the mic he was singing halfway. “Too bad Josie’s not here yet. But here’s what I need you to do for me first…”

Kai walked over to his small audience of Alaric and Lizzie. He drew a wide smile and asked them. “How’s my singing. Rate from 1 to 10.”

“What did you do to the people in the bar? Did you kill them?” Alaric asked instead.

“What? No! Why would I wanna waste time doing that?” Kai just shrugged. “I just compelled the owner to close the place early. Now rate my score! How did I do, Lizzie?”

“It was the most horrid singing I have ever heard.” Lizzie bravely criticized.

“I said from 1 to 10. You know, I like Josie better. She understood rules.” Kai then changed the subject. “Anyway, did your daddy tell you why you’re in this place now?”

Lizzie shook her head while Alaric grunted wordlessly.

“This is where I last sat before I was sent to the prison world.” Kai informed. “A world you and dear Josie created so that I could suffer being alone with no one to kill.”

“I wished Josie could have killed you in there!” Lizzie said through gritted teeth.

“Oh she did. Quite a number of times actually. But you girls created a world I couldn’t die in so…” he shrugged exaggeratedly. “Here I am!”

“So am I!”

Kai clapped his hands upon hearing that announcement from his expected guest. “Welcome! My favourite niece! I missed you!”

“Josie!” Lizzie called out upon seeing her beloved sister.

“Josie, you shouldn’t have come. It’s what he wants!” Alaric told his eldest.

“And you know I won’t just sit around and leave you two here.” Josie stated the obvious. The uncle was now scanning her body for magical items but found none.

“Great! Now that you’re here. I’m gonna start the death sentence for all of you.” Kai announced as he gestured at Josie. “Now you! Sit!”

Josie moved reluctantly to a chair. Kai then casted a set of chain tying Josie to the chair immediately.

“Now before I sentence you all to death, do you have any last words?” Kai threw the question to the floor.

“Yeah! You should be the one being sentence to death! You killed our mother!” Lizzie spat.

“And I paid the price in the prison world, didn’t I?” Kai answered. “So now, I deserved my revenge on those who put me there!”

“They were only kids then!” Alaric reminded.

“Who were dumb enough to listen to their Aunt Bonnie! Blame that manipulative witch for your impending deaths!” Kai countered. He then looked at Josie who had yet to speak.

“They said their last words, Josie. Don’t you have one?” Kai raised a brow at his niece.

When Josie gave that a thought, Kai helped. “You could say… before I die, I would like to apologise to my uncle Kai for killing him, for desiccating him, for squeezing him in a chimney…”

“Why didn’t you use the last ascendant to come back?” Josie had to ask.

“Well, when you left, you didn’t just leave that powerful black magic sand clock but your diary in your room as well.” Kai smirked at Josie internally cursing herself.

“And I must say reading those entries about Hope were tediously painful. Love her hate her love her.” Kai rolled his eye as he continued. “But then there was a part about a Malivore pit! Which seemed to have a portal to this world and could even erase memories of one who jumped through it. Now, I was thinking, erasing memories is such a fun incentive, right? So, I chose the fun option.”

Josie just shrugged. “Except I purged everyone’s memories back just before you stepped into the school.”

“Yeah, you were such a party-pooper! I had my whole nice relative act on BUT at least it worked on Lizzie since she had never seen me before.” Kai pouted. “You know, I hate that I have to kill you now. We would have made such a great team. You sure you don’t wanna have that last epilogue before you die?” 

“I do actually…” Josie nodded and slowly drew a smirk as she chanted. “Ad Somnum!”

Kai immediately fell flat on the ground into sleep.

“Wait a minute!” Lizzie exclaimed at her sister. “How did you cast the spell? Where were you siphoning the magic from?”

“I didn’t need to.” Josie replied. She then casted an un-glamour spell to reveal the real person pretending to be Josie.

“HOPE?!” Alaric and Lizzie stared at the auburn-haired tribrid wide-eyed.

“What the fuck?! You should have kicked his ass from the very beginning!!” Lizzie scolded. “You even got yourself chained??” 

“I can’t let him see through it so soon.” Hope explained. She then broke the chains around her with her werewolf strength effortlessly.

“And why only put him to sleep?” Lizzie asked.

“Josie’s performing a siphon spell now. To get the black magic out of him while he’s unconscious. Without the black magic, at least we know we can take him on easily.” Hope informed as she went around to remove the chains off Alaric and Lizzie.

“I don’t understand. He’s unconscious. We could just chop his head off now!” Alaric said.

“Doesn’t work that way, Dr Saltzman!” Hope added. “He’s basically invincible with that amount of black magic in him, according to my Aunt Freya. Anyway, this sleeping spell is also gonna wear off faster than usual. Lizzie, I need you to hurry and join Josie in the mill now to get the siphon spell done quicker.”

Lizzie nodded and took off immediately.

“What about you, Hope?” Alaric asked.

“Stay here and kick his ass when he wakes up?” Hope took off her jacket and took a seat.

“Well, leave some for me. I’ll grab my weapon and join you later.” Alaric insisted but before he walked out, a thought hit him. “Wait! If Josie’s siphoning the black magic away, where is she putting it in?”

Hope sighed in frustration. “We had a fight over this. I wanted to take it but your daughter insisted she was the cause of this whole black magic ordeal in the first place, so she’s siphoning it to herself.”

“This doesn’t sound good…” Alaric shook his head.

“Don’t worry. We have some control measures in place. Potion contributions from Aunt Freya and Bonnie for any evil Josie side effects.” Hope revealed, though she did not sound very confident.

=====

“Magia tollox De terras”

Lizzie and Josie chanted repeatedly.

But a part of Lizzie was dying to ask Josie where they were siphoning the dark magic from Kai to.

“Where are we taking it to?” Lizzie cut her spell chanting to ask the sister.

“Magia tollox De terras” Josie shook her head at her sister as she kept on chanting, pointing a finger to her wrist to indicate there was no time to waste now and that Lizzie should just keep on chanting.

Lizzie knew there was a time limit. They needed to finish this job before Kai woke up. She sighed in resignation and continued chanting. It was until Josie suddenly dropped on her knees and a black mist was overwhelming her that Lizzie finally knew where they were siphoning the black magic to.

“Jo! Nooo!” Lizzie screamed.

But it was too late as Josie now laid unconscious.

=====

Kai woke up to an empty room.

“FUCK!” he scrambled up from the floor. How the fuck did Josie cast a spell? He made sure she was magic object free and she had no hands to siphon from him too. As Kai looked around the bar, he found Alaric standing from afar, with a big sword in his hands, staring back at him.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You think you can take me on with that sword?” Kai laughed out loud.

“Of course.” Alaric stated confidently.

Kai grinned as he casted a spell to hurl Alaric’s sword to him but the sword refused to barge away from Alaric’s hands.

“You have help.” Kai noted as he saw Hope appearing with a spell-casted hand raised. Seemed like she already casted a protection spell on Alaric. “Oh Hi Hope! Looks like I can’t count on that dumb necromancer to take care of you, huh?”

“I had help too. Nice to see you again, Kai.” The tribrid greeted.

Kai swung a hand, casting a spell that should send the tribrid hitting hard through many walls but Hope only landed lightly against a wall. What was wrong with this black magic power??

Hope got up smiling at the heretic. “Missing something?”

Kai looked at his hands. The usual black veins were gone. As he tried to figure out what went wrong, Hope had casted a spellbound chain around his full body tied around a pillar. Kai casted another spell but it seemed the chain was spelt strong enough to withhold all his spells and vampire strength. But his black magic could have easily dispelled all this! Did he really lose his invincible black magic powers?

“Where’s Josie?” Kai asked, slowing connecting the dots.

“Somewhere done siphoning your black magic away.” Alaric announced as he walked over to Kai.

“But I had her here!! I had her!” Kai shouted.

“Except she was actually a tribrid in disguise.” Hope folded her arms.

It all starting to made sense to Kai. His favourite niece and her annoying girlfriend did indeed fool him this time. Big time!

“Any last words, Kai?” It was Alaric’s turn to ask as he lifted his heavy sword up.

“Yeah, about your wedding..” Kai said, but his words… along with his head was cut off with Alaric’s swing of the sword across the heretic’s neck.

“Wooh, Dr Saltzman. That was…” Hope was also taken by surprise by that sudden move that took Kai’s head off.

“That was for JO!” Alaric announced and it felt good to finally kill the man who murdered his bride years ago.

=====

When Hope and Alaric got to the Old Mill, they found Lizzie sitting next to a sleeping Josie on a sofa.

“Don’t worry, she’s alive. I think she’s just exhausted.” Lizzie announced to them.

“Alright, I’ll carry her back home.” Alaric suggested.

“Where’s home?” Lizzie reminded. “The school’s burnt down.”

“Not the west wing where your room is. Emma just called me that they managed to kill the fire and save that side of the school. The witches are now busy cleaning and rebuilding the school with spells.” Alaric reported.

“We should go help them too.” Hope suggested to Lizzie.

Lizzie nodded in agreement.

“Great! Meantime, after you girls are done….” Alaric said as he lifted his sleeping daughter into his arms. “Hope, you can share the room with the twins for now. Your old room is gone.”

“Oh..ok.” Hope nodded as she watched Alaric carry Josie away.

“No sex in my room, Hope.” Lizzie reminded the tribrid after her father had walked further away.

“Oh Lizzie. We need practice for our sex ritual to save your life, remember?” Hope had to tease with that reminder.

“Funny, shortcake. Very funny.” Lizzie shook her head at Hope’s funny rebuttal.

“Remember when you had Sebastian sex time in your room thanks to my cover? You owe me, Lizzie.” Hope reminded again.

Lizzie stopped in her tracks and stared at the shorter girl. “We have a school to rebuild now and all you can think about is sex with my sister?”

“I’M KIDDING!!” the tribrid slapped the blonde’s arm and pulled her along to catch up with Alaric. “I’m just glad you did not throw a fit at your dad for giving you another roomie.”

When the duo reached the school, they noticed all the witches hard at work chanting the spell to refurbish whatever they could. The dorms in the East wing were mostly burnt bad. The walls might still be intact but the furniture was mostly gone. They could only remove the black soot on everything else and clean it with magic. Hope’s room was on the west wing but it was more on the east side of that wing so it was affected by the fire. The tribrid lost most of her artwork and her bed but this was not a first for her anyway, remembering fondly of the time Josie once burnt her room.

After an hour of magic casting, Hope, Lizzie and the witches were struggling to lift a heavy pillar and set it upright. They had mended the damaged pillar but it was still leaning and it was not safe if it remained like the tower of pisa holding the base of the school building. They were using all their combined powers together and yet that thick heavy pillar could not be set straight.

It was until a figure appeared and touched the pillar lightly that it was finally set straight. They all looked in awe as Josie Saltzman effortlessly solved an issue a party of 30 witches could not solve.

“Jo?” Hope and Lizzie called out at the same time.

As Josie walked closer, everyone could see her hair had turned jet black and there were visible dark veins on her temples but damn, she looked hot.

With a confident smile, Josie strutted right up to Hope and pulled the tribrid into a passionate kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this update took so long. To be fair, i'm the minority who's not on quarantine now :(


	14. Whole. Complete.

“Nice work, girls.” Alaric complimented the trio as he walked into his daughters’ room.

Lizzie, Hope and (Dark)Josie were gathered in the twins’ room as expected after they finished fixing whatever they could salvage for the school. He noticed that Hope was wearing one of Josie’s oversized t-shirt and was settling into his brunette daughter’s bed, well, not so brunette now that the darkness had taken over her. But she was still Josie, who did help fixed the school as well.

“Ermm… Do you need a spare mattress, Hope?” Alaric asked rather awkwardly.

Lizzie and Josie rolled their eyes while Hope blushed in embarrassment as she adjusted herself a little on Josie’s bed, not sure if she should get out of the bed or just sit tight.

“She doesn’t need an extra bed, dad.” Josie shook her head. “Not like I’m taking up so much space.”

“Dad, they’re not getting pregnant…I mean they can’t.” Lizzie added and Alaric looked more awkward now. “Besides I’m not letting them disrupt my sleep with any sort of sex...”

“OKAY, Lizzie! I get it.” Alaric did not want to know more. A few days before, he was still absorbing the news of Josie and Hope dating. “So, we need to talk about Landon. How are we gonna get him out of Malivore?”

“He’s most likely Malivore now.” Hope sighed.

“So, you’re saying we should not get him out?” Alaric asked.

“I’m saying that even if we even get him out, he’s not Landon and we may have to fight him.” Hope explained.

“But is there a way we could bring the real Landon back from being Malivore?” Alaric wondered aloud.

“Hmmm.. Like siphon Malivore out of Landon?” Lizzie guessed.

“Basically, we shouldn’t even let him out.” Josie added, arms folded. “We should find a way to seal the pit before he gets a chance to get out or send more monsters into our world.”

Everyone stared at the dark-haired girl, surprised at the Lets-get-rid-of-Landon-for-good idea.

“That’s Landon we’re talking about.” Alaric highlighted. “Malivore or not, he’s still that good kid we brought in here. Whom you actually dated, Josie.”

“Honestly! I wondered why I dated him in the first place. Or that Hope dated him for that matter!! He’s kind of a loser.” Josie rolled her eyes.

“Hell yeah, sis! How did you only realize that now?” Lizzie had to applaud to that. “Perhaps this black magic stuff in you is waking some of your senses up.”

“Lizzie, you have no idea how CLEAR I feel now.” Josie concurred with her sister.

“I think you should take the potion my Aunt Freya gave you, Jo.” Hope suggested. Josie was acting a little out of character now and she did not want her girlfriend turning more and more insensitive with the new black magic in her.

“Hope babe, I don’t need the potion. I feel great! And I’m really happy with you. You’re the best. My best ever.” Josie sat down on the bed and kissed the tribrid’s cheek.

“Ermm… I still think the idea of sealing Landon in Malivore is not quite feasible.” Hope told Josie.

“Do you still have feelings for him?” Josie asked with a stern pout.

“No, Jo! I just think it’s not the best idea.” Hope shook her head.

“I don’t see the point of saving him! He’s Malivore! The BIG BAD, remember?!” Josie reminded everyone in the room.

“Josie, are you feeling okay? You were exhausted today. Perhaps you need more rest.” Alaric looked at his daughter in concern.

“I’m fine, dad. But you’re right. I need my beauty sleep now. I don’t wanna waste my time thinking of ways to save a monster instead of destroying him.” Josie adjusted herself under her blanket, snuggling into Hope’s side.

He then turned to Hope and Lizzie. “We’ll discuss this tomorrow.”

Lizzie and Hope nodded in agreement.

After lights out, Hope could hear Lizzie’s light snores but she was still wide awake. It was mostly because Josie was caressing her abdomen under her t-shirt.

“Jo…” Hope whispered. “We should sleep.”

“But..” Josie whispered into the tribrid’s ear. “I want you..”

Hope could feel Josie’s hand moving down by now, her fingertips tugging Hope’s waistband. As tempted as she was, the tribrid managed to remember Lizzie’s warning. “I promised Lizzie…”

“But I didn’t promised Lizzie anything..” Josie kissed the girlfriend’s jawline.

Hope could not resist eventually, especially when the girl started kissing lower and lower. Oh god, Lizzie was so going to kill them tomorrow. 

=====

When Hope woke up the next morning, Josie was not in bed with her. Lizzie was just getting out of bed.

“Where’s Jo?” Hope asked the blonde.

“How would I know?” Lizzie yawned as she stretched herself. “I should be the one asking you. Did you sleep that well you didn’t feel her leaving your side?”

“Yeah. I guessed I was too exhausted.” Hope admitted. Exhausted from all the happenings yesterday and their sexy time in bed as well. She wondered if Lizzie heard or saw anything. “Ermm, did you sleep well too?”

“Like a log.” Lizzie revealed.

“Oh, that’s great.” Hope was relieved that Lizzie at least oblivious to what she was doing with Josie last night.

“No, bitch! You were a loud horny hoe!” Lizzie snapped at the tribrid. “You couldn’t resist, could you? Even with my warning!”

“I’m sorry, Lizzie! Jo was….She was just so so persistent! And she gave me the best orgasm last night! You can’t blame me!!” Hope begged for forgiveness.

“Gosh, Hope! I didn’t need to know that! I had to cast the silencing spell as soon as I was woken up by your first loud moan!”

“Ermm.. Why didn’t you stop us?”

“Oh, Hope, I may be mad that you and Josie disobeyed my room rules but I would hate to stop one from reaching….ecstasy. I for one would hate to be interrupted in the middle of some good sex.” Lizzie then sighed in frustration. “You know what? I’m gonna find Sebastian now. I know he wouldn’t mind a last minute bootie call now. Thanks to the both of you!!”

With that, Lizzie stormed out of the room.

Hope sighed. She needed to talk to Josie about this later.

=====

Josie felt a lot when she was in dark mode. She felt impatient. She felt easily annoyed. She felt stronger. She felt hornier. And she felt how deeply she loved her girlfriend, Hope. Last night she did her best to make her girl happy in bed and she was so proud of it.

The only thing she was not feeling was this impromptu counselling session with Emma now in the morning. Her dad had woken her up with a floating summon letter and in it insisted she attend the session with Emma. Hope was still sleeping like a beautiful princess and Josie could not bear to wake her up. Emma was throwing her questions about how she was feeling with this new dark magic inside her.

“Listen, Emma. I’m fine! I’m still same ol Josie… except I am way more powerful.” Josie shrugged.

“Ric told me you wanted Landon gone for good.” Emma highlighted.

Josie laughed. “Please! The guy can’t die! I only thought of the easiest solution to solve this Malivore issue. Locking him in the pit so we don’t have to deal with him and his monsters anymore.”

“You do remember you dated him before right? No hard feelings for putting him away?”

“I have been dating the girl who dumped him for weeks now. Why didn’t you check with me about ‘hard feelings’ earlier? Look, the difference is he’s Malivore now. No longer the Landon we know.”

Emma sighed as she sat back. The new Josie was something else yet she was answering all her questions with inhibited honesty and reason.

“Do you…feel a drive to hurt anyone?” Emma asked.

“What makes you say that? I have not hurt a single soul.” Josie stated.

“Your dad told me you were the one who broke the arm of that boy from Mystic Falls High months ago during the football match.” Emma looked at her file as she brought up.

“I was manipulated then. By the evil professor, remember?” Josie folded her arms, feeling slightly guilty but largely no regret for her past actions contributed by a manipulative monster.

“But you might still be capable of hurting people?” Emma stated.

“Not now when no one who is controlling me. And I will only hurt those who hurt my loved ones.” Josie admitted.

“Would you kill if someone hurt Lizzie?” Emma added.

“I’ll try not to.” Josie snorted.

“How about Hope? Would you kill for her?”

Josie pursed her lips as thoughts ran through her mind. Thoughts of Hope getting hurt by some monster. Thoughts of Hope not waking up after. She was a tribrid and invincible but even the invincible could perish, just like Hope’s parents. No, she would kill to keep Hope alive and she would kill to avenge Hope.

“Yes.” Josie could never lie about that.

=====

Lizzie arrived in Alaric’s office as summoned and found that Hope was already there.

“What is it, dad?” Lizzie complained as she adjusted her belt and took a seat in front of her father’s desk. “I was in the middle of something.”

Hope who was already seated in the next seat, glanced at the blonde and hid a knowing smile. Lizzie caught it and pretended to ignore it.

“Are we seriously not waiting for Josie?” Hope asked the headmaster.

“She’s still in session with Emma. I need Emma to assess her. Josie’s not herself as you both noticed.” Alaric told the two girls.

“Yeah, she’s hornier for sure.” Lizzie muttered under her breath, making sure her father did not hear it.

“What?” Alaric asked, not catching it thankfully.

“Nothing, dad.” Lizzie smiled at her dad while Hope was glaring at her, obviously heard when she muttered.

“Why would Josie need to be counselled? She’s fine.” Hope asked.

“Just an assessment, that’s all.” Alaric highlighted. “Meantime, we need to discuss the plan to save Landon.”

“Honestly, I thought Josie’s suggestion to seal Landon in Malivore was not a bad plan.” Lizzie admitted with a shrug. “I mean I was only appalled that she was capable of coming out with such an idea because she’s Josie, you know. But knowing that it’s the hobbit or the Malivore, whom I never dated, or wanna date, I wouldn’t have an issue with that plan. No offence, Hope.”

“None taken.” Hope fake-smiled. “I think I have a better idea.”

“What is that?” Alaric probed.

“I will go into Malivore and kill him, better if I can save Landon in the process. But this time, I’m going in as a full tribrid.” The tribrid announced.

“What do you mean? You plan to kill yourself to trigger your vamp side and then head down there again to kill him?” Alaric checked.

“You wanna jump again? Did you forget that we FORGOT you the last time you jumped?” Lizzie double-checked.

“It’s the only way I KNOW will work! Who here knows how to seal Malivore, huh?” Hope asked and as expected, no one could answer her.

“I don’t know if I like this idea.” Alaric shook his head as he leaned back in his chair.

“Just write down a note to remind Josie to do that Japanese spell when I’m back and you’ll all remember me again.” Hope suggested. “At least this time I’m not making you guys destroy my stuff.”

“Your stuff were already destroyed in the fire last night, Hope.” Lizzie reminded.

“Right.” Hope forgot about that.

“Anyway, I don’t think Josie would like this idea too.” Lizzie guessed aloud.

Hope did not like the idea too but it was the best sure-win plan. Thing was she was very sure Josie would not like this idea one bit.

“Well, I was thinking…” the tribrid decided. “That we don’t tell Josie this plan.”

“Hope, you do know if she finds this out, you’re dead.” Lizzie warned. “Especially now that she’s Darth Vader.”

“Well, if that happens, then I’ll get what I want, right? Full tribrid mode! Ha!” The tribrid let out a nervous laugh.

=====

When Hope finally got back to the twins’ room, she found Josie sleeping soundly in bed. She smiled at that. Josie with her fierce new black hair still looked surreal as she slept. Hope slowly crawled into bed to spoon her girlfriend. It was just an afternoon nap and she did not mind one as well. Except that Josie stirred slightly at Hope’s touch.

“Hmm..” Josie mumbled, pulling Hope’s arm around her tighter. “Love you.”

“Love you too..” Hope kissed lightly on Josie’s nape.

“Where were you?” Josie asked, her eyes still close.

“In your dad’s office.” Hope reported. “Planning the next move on Malivore-Landon.”

“And what plan did you guys come up with?”

Hope cleared her throat. “Your plan actually.”

This time, Josie turned around and looked at Hope wide-eyed. “Really?”

“Yeah. But you need to promise me something before we start this mission.” Hope added a condition. “Drink that potion that Freya gave you. Promise me.”

Josie nodded readily. “So how do we seal Malivore for good?”

“Well, first, we need Valerie’s help in this as well. Basically, we need her heretic powers, your dark magic powers and my tribrid powers to cast a powerful spell together.”

“Where did you find this solution?”

“Aunt Freya and her grimoires?” Hope lied. Lies after lies.

“The thing is we made a deal with Valerie to help her find her daughter first so we’ll help her with that first and then she’ll help us with that spell to seal Malivore.” Hope added. “Valerie is staying at a motel nearby now. She thinks she found her daughter. Go look for her tomorrow. She needs your help to do that ‘DNA’ spell I taught you before to make sure they are related.”

“You’re not coming with me?’ Josie pouted.

“I need to prep the Malivore-sealing spell with Lizzie. There are some rare ingredients we need find first. And by the time you’re done helping Valerie, you both should be back in time to start the spell to seal Malivore.” Another lie.

“Why can’t we both go and help Valerie and then get the ingredients together after?”

“Because we don’t have time to waste! Phoenix Malivore might just rise out of the pit any time and we have to deal with a bigger problem.” This one was no lie. Hope realized. 

“Fine.” Josie finally agreed.

“One more thing.” Hope added.

“What? Another condition?” Josie signed.

“I would like to make love to you now because tonight, Lizzie said she’s not going to pretend-sleep again.” Hope kissed the tip of Josie’s nose. This might be their last time making love before Hope head into that save-the-world-and-forget-her jump again.

“Now that is my favourite condition.” Josie pulled Hope into a deep kiss.

=====

“Jo?” Hope and Lizzie stared at Josie the moment she came back from her morning shower the next day.

“What it is? The both of you look like you just saw a ghost.” Josie noted as she combed and tied her hair into a pony tail. Her very brunette hair now.

“Erm.. is Dark Josie gone?” Lizzie asked.

“Nope.” Josie shook her head. “I can still feel the strong black magic in me. I don’t know but I think it’s the effect of that potion Freya got for me. I feel like I’m…”

“Like what?” Hope approached her girlfriend, glad that she took her advice and took the potion.

“Whole. Complete.” Josie finally thought of the words that best described herself now. Like a whole combination.

====

Valerie Tulle opened the door of her motel room almost immediately after Josie knocked a few times.

“Come in, Josie.” The heretic waved the siphon witch in.

“Sorry you had to stay in a motel.” Josie apologized, looking around the small room.

“No. It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize on behalf of your evil uncle who burnt half the school.” Valerie smiled at the brunette and offered her a seat.

“So, Hope tells me you think you found your daughter?” Josie asked.

“Yes. I mean I think it’s her. I did that special location spell you and Hope did before and found her in a trailer.” Valerie revealed.

“That’s great! Let’s go get her then.” Josie stood up but Valerie stopped her by holding her wrist.

“It’s fine. Actually, I approached her yesterday and I..ah…brought her back with me.” Valerie added.

“Well, where is she then?” Josie looked around the room again.

“She’s in the bathroom. Listen, Josie. I had to do what I had to do. She was quite hostile and I strongly believe she is a ripper. She thought I was from some vampire gang and attacked me, despite my explanation that I might be her mother.” Valerie then sheepishly admitted. “I kinda accidentally desiccated her.”

“Oh. So, she’s in there?” Josie pointed at the bathroom door.

Valerie nodded and led Josie to the bathroom. The brunette then saw a blond girl close to her age lying in the bathtub. She noticed the desiccated vampire at least was a blonde like Valerie.

“Can you do that DNA check spell that Hope mentioned while she’s desiccated?” Valerie asked Josie. “I just need to be sure she’s my kid.”

“It should work regardless.” Josie nodded. “Was there anyone else around the area when you found her?”

Valerie nodded. “There was another girl who left the trailer in a car just after I arrived. That’s why I needed to be sure it’s her and not someone else.”

“Ok, let’s do the spell then to be sure she’s the one. I need to extract some of her blood and your blood to put into this dish.” Josie advised and held out a small dish, remembering this spell Hope had taught her after their visit with Valerie.

Valerie took a knife and sliced a line on her own palm and dripped her blood into a dish that Josie held. She then approached the desiccated vampire in the bathtub and sliced the girl’s palm to draw blood to put into the same dish as well.

“Ok, I will perform the spell in a spell circle now. If the blood merges together to form a transparent liquid, it’s confirmed you are blood related to each other. The more transparent it is, the closer the blood relation.”

Valerie nodded as she watched Josie prepare and start the spell. After several minutes of chanting, they found the result they wanted. The merged blood had turned a clear transparent. Valerie was so elated that she hugged Josie right after the girl finished performing the spell.

“Thank you, Josie.”

“Do you know her name?” Josie asked.

“No. Didn’t get the chance to.” Valerie shook her head.

“Well, let’s find out then.” Josie approached the bathroom where the girl laid. The brunette then took the knife Valerie cleaned earlier at the sink and slit the middle of her palm.

“Josie!” Valerie was surprised when Josie had cut herself. “We could use my blood to wake her.”

“A non-vamp blood is still way faster to wake a desiccated vamp.” Josie did not mind at all and moved to the bathtub. She then dripped her blood into the mouth of the vampire. 

Within seconds, the young blond vampire’s body started to lose the grey veins and her skin came back with color. Soon the girl slowly fluttered her eyes open. That was when Josie found the girl oddly familiar. When the girl fully opened her eyes, she looked at Josie like it was the loveliest face she had ever seen.

“You…you look..” the awakened vampire wanted to say _cute as hell_ but instead she found herself saying. “…delicious!” and then without warning, her eyes turned red and she lunged toward Josie, filled with that unhinged blood hunger in her.

Valerie tried to quickly intervened, worried that Josie would be hurt by the bite of a ripper but the witch was faster. All Josie did was just grab the other girl’s shoulder, muttering a spell under her breath.

The vampire held back as she blinked a couple of times at Josie and Valerie and then asked with curious, blue eyes. “Who… who are you?”

But before Valerie and Josie could reply, the vampire had fallen back into the bathtub, unconscious.

“What did you do, Josie?” Valerie asked.

“Her humanity was off.” Josie informed. “I just switched it back on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a late update :(


	15. A New Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning: This is the final chapter.

“Lizzie, just do it already!” Hope told the blond witch as she sat in the open basement cell, waiting while Lizzie was pacing around. “Just stick that thing in my heart!”

“You see, Hope. I was thinking.” Lizzie tapped the dagger on her palm lightly as she paced the room. “Like since this is your idea, I can say I have nothing to do with it. But you see, I’ll still be seen as the accomplice. And Josie would never forgive me for that.”

“Lizzie, it’s easy. Just pierce it right here.” Hope pointed at her chest. “You did it effortlessly on Landon with a sword, right? You can do it again!”

“No, Hope. Did you not hear me?” Lizzie shook her head vigorously. “Jo, who’s dark magic possessed, will not only NOT forgive me, she WILL KILL ME. That is worse than me killing you right now!”

“You know what. I can just kill myself without the dagger. By the time you make up your mind, she’ll be back and our plan will go bust.” Hope took a deep breath, then stretched her arms and neck.

“Did you even consider that if you die now, you will be in transition when Josie gets back and you’ll still get busted by your girlfriend?” Lizzie highlighted.

“Of course, I know that which is why Dr Saltzman is supposed to throw me into the pit while I’m dead. By the time I wake up in transition, I’ll already be in Malivore killing him with all my three sides activated.” Hope informed. This time, she took the chance and spell-casted the dagger to slip from Lizzie’s hand and into her hand now.

“That’s the dumbest idea ever!”

Hope froze because that was not Lizzie who said it.

It was Josie.

Shit. Josie came back earlier than expected. Hope gulped. In fear. When was the last time she felt fear? Not since the time she was nine and astral projected to her murderous looking father in the middle of a massacre. Hope turned around slowly. She saw Josie looking really mad. Obviously. Behind her was Valerie and another blonde whom Hope guessed was her daughter. The younger blonde was actually smirking at Hope.

“Jo.. I can explain.” Hope approached Josie slowly, still holding the dagger in her hand and gesturing nervously.

“Not now.” Josie did a small wave of her hand, quietly casting the sleeping spell in response. Hope immediately fall and Lizzie caught her in time before she hit the floor.

“Why did you do that, Jo?” Lizzie asked. “She was trying to explain.”

“Not taking any chances with that knife in her hand.” Josie then warned Lizzie. “And be grateful I am not dealing with you yet, sis.”

“Jo, it was Hope’s idea. And you know how stubborn she is.” Lizzie quickly defended herself and Josie rolled her eyes, though she believed her sister.

“That was sick! You just waved and she dropped? Who is she?” the blond girl at the back was impressed with Josie’s yet another power move, apart from her switching her humanity back earlier. She wondered why Josie just put that girl to sleep and who was that girl to Josie.

“Who are you?” Lizzie asked the new girl in the room instead.

“This is my daughter Jade.” Valerie quickly introduced.

Josie walked over to where Hope laid sleeping in Lizzie’s arms and muttered a spell again. This time, she casted a levitation spell and Hope floated and landed into Josie’s arms, bridal style.

“You haven’t answered my question.” Jade reminded Josie.

“Just my punishable girlfriend.” Josie answered in response to Jade’s earlier question as she carried the tribrid past an awestruck Jade.

====

Hope stirred, feeling gentle strokes pushing her hair behind her ear. When she moved, she could feel herself lying comfortably in bed. When she opened her eyes, she noted that the gentle stroking on her hair had stopped and she was staring into the deep brown eyes of her beautiful girlfriend lying next to her. Memories of how she ended up asleep came back and she knew well why Josie pulled her hand away from her hair now. Josie was still mad.

“Babe…” Hope called fondly.

“Don’t babe me. I’m still mad.” Josie pouted.

But Hope could not help it. She leaned in to kiss those pouty lips.

“Stop.” Josie pulled back a little, reluctantly breaking the kiss.

“I’m sorry, Jo. I really am.” Hope apologized sincerely. “I just know you would hate the idea and stop it like what you just did. But you need to know it is the only sure-win plan.”

“Well, you sure didn’t try with the ‘need to know’ part. You just went ahead and assume I wouldn’t like it.” Josie argued back.

“But you just said it was the dumbest idea ever!”

“Yes. Because you didn’t even discuss with me to convince me otherwise. You LIED to me, Hope. With another made-up plan!”

Hope sighed in resignation. “Ok, ok. I was wrong. And I will never do that again, I swear. And I’m so sorry, Jo. Please….can you forgive me?”

Josie looked at those sad puppy blue eyes and could already feel her anger subside quite a bit. She hated how weak she was for Hope.

“Promise me that whatever crazy plan you have, you discuss it with me first. Understand?” Josie warned with a stern pout.

“I promise.” Hope nodded. “And please stop with the pout. It makes me wanna to kiss you again.”

“Then just kiss me.” Josie consented.

“Ok.” Hope grinned and leaned in only to get stopped again with a palm on her chest.

“I need another promise.” Josie added. “Especially when we have to do that sex ritual one day.”

“Ok…” Hope was not sure what Josie was thinking of.

“It’s just that…” Josie had all these sudden thoughts running in head and she was letting it out. “We don’t know what will happen before we do the sex ritual. What if we break up one day and still had to do all those 18 sex positions to save our lives before I turn 22? It’ll be awkward and…”

“Why are you thinking that far again? I can’t even fathom the thought of breaking up with you. Can we not overthink at this point?” Hope sighed and laid a forearm over her forehead.

“Hope, I’m just saying this sex ritual needs to be…” Josie sat up to make her point. “Ceremonial. You know, like a….wedding?”

“Seriously, Jo?”

“Ok, maybe not a wedding. Like a sacred ceremony? I don’t know. Hope, we need to do it not like it is something we need to do to save lives but as a celebratory thing between us.” Josie reached out to hold both of Hope’s hands.

“And you want me to promise to that? Sure, I’m fine with it.” Hope shrugged.

“I mean, we can exchange promises of love before the ritual. What do you think?” Josie nodded.

Josie was a romantic. Hope should know that after dating her all this time. Count on the younger girl to come up with something cliché for a witch ritual. She was just a little surprised that Josie with her dark magic implanted in her was still this romantic.

“I’d like that too.” Hope smiled at the romantic. “Now can I kiss my girlfriend already?”

“Thought you’ll never ask.” Josie hooked her hands behind Hope’s neck and bend down to kiss the tribrid who was still lying with her back on her bed. Hope found Josie already straddling her and moved her hands instinctively to Josie’s hips. But Josie took those hands from her hips and placed them above Hope’s head.

“Sorry babe. You’re still being punished.” The brunette announced. She then muttered a spell and Hope found her hands stretched and tied by a pair of robe belts to the ends of bed’s headboard.

“And how am I being punished?” Hope raised a brow, not minding being tied up at all.

“You’ll find out..” Josie whispered as she trailed sultry kisses down the tribrid’s neck.

For the first time in her life, Hope actually loved being punished.

=====

Jade was walking down the busy hallway full of students heading to their morning classes when something caught her eye. The students all avoided looking at what she was looking at now. It was a common reaction when one saw a kissing couple at a corner. Scoffed at it and walked away. But that was so not what Jade was doing. She was staring at the couple shamelessly, as what the couple was doing without shame too. She watched on with intrigue. Intrigued by Josie Saltzman who was all grown up now, making out with a girl in the corner of a busy hallway filled with supernatural teenagers. Jade recognized the shorter girl kissing Josie too. The Punishable Girlfriend.

Josie did not care for anyone looking at them now because Hope was finally openly kissing her in public. She was glad that Hope had decided to ignore anyone calling her a cheating whore anymore because fuck it, they were not going to explain their time travel adventure to everyone. Landon was dumped in their timeline before she and Hope dated so that was that. And now, Josie just wanted to keep this moment as long as possible. Having her girlfriend make their relationship official with a morning kiss in the hallway before they go for classes, a rather long morning kiss actually. Until she could sense a pair of privy eyes on them. When Hope moved to kiss her neck, Josie looked up to catch Jade staring at her in the middle of the hallway. The vampire did not look disgusted or anything. She was just staring….smugly. 

“Ermm. Hi Jade.” Josie greeted the other girl and she could feel Hope stopped kissing her neck as well. The tribrid turned around to see the new blond vampire standing a few feet from them. Valerie’s long-lost daughter.

“Hey Joz.” Jade greeted with a friendly smile.

“Where are you headed?” Josie asked the vampire, trying to make small talk.

“To the headmaster’s office. Val’s waiting for me there with your dad.” Jade informed and then could not help but comment when she glanced at Hope. “I see the punishment went well?”

Josie flushed in red and did not know how to respond to that comment. And she got redder when Jade added a quick wink before walking off. “Pretty sure I wouldn’t mind a punishment too.” 

“Did she just flirt with you in front of me?!” Hope noted aloud as she watched Jade’s retreating form. “And did she just call you Joz? Just after meeting you yesterday?”

“She was a Salvatore student once, Hope. Ten years ago. I knew her then. She was expelled before she got to senior year.” Josie informed.

“So, you’re saying Valerie’s daughter used to school here?” Hope checked and then recalled Valerie’s past with Stefan Salvatore. “Wait! This means she’s a Salvatore. As in a real Salvatore who could have a stake in our school?”

“Most likely.” Josie nodded as she took in the realization as well. She then looked at Hope with a curious smile. “So, are you jealous of her prestigious relation to the school more than you are jealous of her flirting with me now?”

“Shut up.” Hope rolled her eyes and just tugged Josie along as they walked through the hallway.

====

“So, do we have another plan?” Lizzie asked. The trio was gathered in Alaric’s office to pan out another how-to-deal-with-Malivore plan now that Hope got banned by Josie from sacrificing her life again.

“Basically, we made some changes to the old plan. Improvised it.” Josie stated.

“Here’s the theory we came up with.” Hope chipped in. “I got kicked out of Malivore because I was weakening him but Landon is still in there which means he’s doing the opposite of what I did. Strengthening Malivore…”

“So, what we know is, the last time Hope jumped, she sealed the pit.” Josie continued. “Which means even with her un-activated vamp side, she could still seal the pit. What we didn’t try doing was just dropping Hope’s blood into the pit to weaken it…..and hopefully sealing it as well.”

“And what about Landon?” Alaric asked.

“We siphon him out of Malivore before Hope seals the pit with her blood.” Josie simply put it.

“Hold on, sis! I know we are powerful siphon witches but we have never siphoned from a pit of mud. Will that even work?” Lizzie had to ask.

“That mud pit is Malivore, Lizzie. If you think about it, his original form is a mud man who could absorb anyone. The mud pit is just a liquid form of him doing the same thing.” Josie explained.

“Then again, this is based on an untested theory.” Hope highlighted.

“Babe, so is your full tribrid sure-kill theory. It’s untested.” Josie reminded the tribrid.

“Fine. Your plan is better.” Hope raised her arms in the air in surrender. “There! I said it.”

“Our plan, Hope. The plan we both discussed and came up with. Together!” Josie corrected as she reached out to hold her girlfriend’s hand.

“Ok then! Let’s do this right!” Alaric announced.

====

The plan worked.

They did not forget the necromancer and his assistant Chad too whom Hope and Josie easily defeated by hurling them into the pit. Then the twins concentrated on siphoning Landon out of the pit and thankfully it was good old Landon who got spit out of the pool of black goo. Not a hint of evil in him. After which Hope dropped her blood into the pit. At first nothing seemed to change but gradually the black goo started to dissipate until all that was left was an empty hollow pit.

They knew the disappearance of the Malivore pit as a temporary solution since the first time Hope sealed it when she jumped, the mud pit still reappeared elsewhere somehow. But everyone was satisfied for now because there were no monsters to deal with so far. Everything seemed to go back to normal in school after that. Classes resumed. Landon was still Landon. Hope of course finally had that break-up talk with him. It was done better than the first time they broke up. Hope had calmly told him everything, even including the time travel part. He took the breakup rather well. She wondered if the time he spent in Malivore changed him somehow. She hated her experience in Malivore and could not wait to get out of that darkness. But Landon did not show any hint of post-traumatic stress. In fact, he seemed more chill.

The weeks passed pleasantly for most. Well, maybe not so pleasant for Hope. The tribrid had to deal with Jade’s permanent presence in Salvatore now. Alaric had given the vampire a second chance at Salvatore, partly because she was a Salvatore and the crime she did in the past that got her expelled was caused mostly by her shut-off humanity. Now that her humanity was back and she was really keen to go back to school again, Alaric felt obligated to not turn her away.

Not that Hope hated the girl. She just hated how Jade would not stop flirting with Josie. As if Hope’s claim on Josie was non-existent. And Josie seemed to enjoy the attention from the pretty blue-eyed blonde, though she would still end up in Hope’s arms at the end of the day. Sometimes the tribrid had half the mind to warn the vamp to keep away from her girlfriend. Like how had Jade not heard of the one and only powerful tribrid so far? No one would dare to go near a pissed Hope or her property.

It did not help that at some point, the tribrid started to worry that Josie might have a change of heart, especially if that potion Josie took would wear off and Dark Josie might take full control of Josie’s emotions and possibly stop having any feelings for Hope. Hope would not doubt that Dark Josie was capable of cheating on her and sleeping with a flirty suitor. Her sudden insecurities were eating at her that she had to call Freya to get some reassurance on the effects of the potion. Freya told her that she had no idea if the potion was meant to last forever or just temporary. Her aunt only had one advice to her.

“Your relationship with Josie isn’t just dependent on that potion, Hope. Remember that. It’s all about constant communication with Josie. Talk to her. Tell her you trust her. Share your fears even if it is embarrassing.”

Hope felt better at Freya’s advice and she took it. She poured out to Josie and Josie poured out to her too, saying how she also feared Hope would leave her when she got too obsessive in their relationship. Especially now that Lizzie’s bipolar outbursts were hardly a worry anymore and when it did happen on some rare occasion, Josie was grateful she had Hope’s support as well. Hope, who had the same patience when it came to dealing with Lizzie Saltzman. After their talk, Josie took upon herself to make it clear to Jade that things with Hope had been awesome and as much as she cherished her friendship with Jade, she only had eyes for one Hope Mikaelson. After some time, Jade seemed to have grown tired of the flirting game with Josie. It was also likely because Josie had been quite the excited girlfriend planning her sex ritual ceremony with Hope. Some time back, Hope had suggested to Josie that they should do the ritual on a special day and that special day should be Josie’s upcoming birthday. Josie agreed wholeheartedly. Because guess who wouldn’t want a 3-hour, uninterrupted, erotic birthday sex on their 17th birthday? Not one lucky Josie Saltzman.

=====

Hope recalled how she spent her 18th birthday. Forgotten in the darkness of Malivore. She had no idea she had turned 18 then. But then months later, Josie had to throw a romantic belated birthday celebration for her in the prison world. Hope felt the need to make Josie’s birthday as special too. But it was not just Josie’s birthday but Lizzie’s too. Hope was a little stressed at first in planning a birthday party not just for one but for two. Luckily for Hope, Lizzie and Josie decided they best take charge since it had been a tradition for years that the twins planned their own birthday party. So, Hope only had the responsibility to just plan THE ritual but even that role was practically taken over by Josie. Yes, her girlfriend was such a planner that a month prior to her birthday, Josie had started choosing the drapes and bedsheets designs in Hope’s room where their “merge” ritual was to take place. Hope and Josie decided not to call it the sex ritual anymore. In Dahlia’s notes which Freya managed to find, she had called it the soulmates’ merge ritual. 

The twins’ birthday party went like any prom night. This year’s theme was fairy tale. Josie and Lizzie were of course princesses. Lizzie decided to dress as Elsa from Frozen to which Josie highlighted that Frozen was actually not a fairy tale but just a Disney production. However, there was nothing that could change Lizzie’s mind. She was insistent on Elsa since she recently perfected the spell that could freeze an object for a few minutes and she could not wait to show that off to her birthday guests. Josie was trying to choose between sleeping beauty or Snow White and finally settled for Sleeping Beauty in a yellow dress. Hope had no idea what she wanted to dress as until Josie told her that she always saw Hope as Little Red Riding Hood. Towards the end of the party, Hope and Josie spent the night just slow-dancing with each other. 

“Why Red Riding Hood?” Hope asked the girlfriend as they slow-danced to the last song of the night.

“I don’t know.” Josie shrugged as she stroked Hope’s hair under the hood. “I just see you as her. Maybe your auburn hair matches the red hood well.”

“Did you dream of me in this outfit?”

“No. But maybe I did as a child. I just think you look pretty as her. Oh! Or it could be a weird metaphoric thought too. Coz you’re a wolf and the wolf basically ate Little Red Riding Hood!” Josie chuckled at that.

“Very funny.” Hope pulled Josie closer as they rest their foreheads against each other.

“Are you nervous?” Josie asked since they were soon going to retire to Hope’s bedroom and start their ritual.

“A little..” Hope admitted. “It’s weird because it’s not like the first time we’re having sex.”

“I know right!” Josie concurred. “I’m so nervous I couldn’t sleep last night. I kept memorizing all 18 sex positions.”

“But I thought we’ll just have the book next to us to refer to?”

“That would just ruin the moment.”

“Jo, we have to do each position in sequence. I won’t remember the sequence.”

“Don’t worry I memorized the sequence too.”

“Seriously?!”

“Gosh! I’m doing it again. I’m overdoing everything.”

“No, you’re not. You’re just more of a thinker…. And a doer and I’m just…. more laidback. But I’m not complaining coz I love that you fuss over me.”

Josie pursed her lips.

“What?” Hope looked at Josie who looked a little disappointed.

“Lizzie said I tend to spoil you. Even more than I did for Landon or Penelope.”

“And is that a bad thing?”

“She said it’s bad because you don’t really do the same for me..”

Hope cupped Josie’s face and laid a big succulent kiss on her lips. “Fuck Lizzie! I loved being spoiled by you. And I’m gonna spoil you tonight… in my room…non-stop for the next 3 hours! I even memorize my promise vows to you. How’s that?”

“Really?” Josie beamed. She was so proud of Hope.

“Did I hear my name?” Lizzie strode over with Sebastian in her arm.

“I said fuck..” Hope glared at Lizzie but Josie quickly covered the tribrid’s mouth.

“She said have a nice fuck, Lizzie!” Josie cut in as she dragged Hope away. “And we gotta go too! Bye!”

“Enjoy yours too!” Lizzie waved at the two girls leaving. “Damn, I wonder how those two are going to last a 3-hour sex marathon.”

“How many orgasms do you think they can hit?” Sebastian wondered aloud.

“Well, they have to cum 18 times or else I’m most likely gonna die..” Lizzie nodded in all seriousness. “Like literally.”

=====

It was beautiful.

It started with the exchange of promises of love.

Then the chanting of the incantations.

Then they kissed, naturally moving their bodies to the first position. Then the 2nd and the 3rd position and so on. Josie led mostly. Well, because she memorized the positions and sequence.

By the time they did the 18th position, they realized they probably orgasm more than 18 times. Actually, they did not count. Was it 3 hours? Or more? They did not count that too. It was like the ritual was made to last physically for that long without breaking a sweat.

“Best birthday sex EVER!” Josie told Hope when they were finally done.

“I love you, Josie Saltzman.”

“I love you, Hope Mikaelson.”

===== 

When Lizzie woke up the next morning, she felt like some heavy weight was lifted off her body. She practically felt like a brand-new person!

“I THINK THEY FUCKIN DID IT!” She exclaimed in realization and that jolted Sebastian awake next to her.

“What? What?!” the oblivious vampire asked, wondering what the sudden excitement was all about.

“I’m not gonna die!” Lizzie answered and quickly got dressed and ran out of her room. She headed straight to Hope’s room and knocked vigorously but there was no answer.

“They must be dead tired.” Lizzie said to herself and resigned to going back to her room. She thought she could at least thank her sister and her bestie and celebrate life now that they were all not going to die at 22. As she walked back down the halfway, she heard familiar giggles in the kitchen. Lizzie turned to look inside and found Hope and Josie happily feeding each other breakfast.

“You two actually woke up earlier than me? I mean mine lasted less than 30 minutes and I slept like a log till now.” Lizzie asked, surprised how those two still managed to look all bright and shiny after a long night.

“What do mean we woke up? We didn’t even sleep.” Josie shrugged.

“But how? Did you even do the ritual? All 18 positions? All 3 hours?” Lizzie asked, wondering if they cheated the ritual.

“Of course, we did, Lizzie.” Hope added. “We did all of that. That’s why we are feeling like this. It’s like….A new life.”

“I felt that too! I knew you guys fuckin did it!!” Lizzie cheered with her fists up in the air.

“WE DID IT!” Josie and Hope cheered along and hugged Lizzie in unison.

=== THE END ===

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this till the end!! :))


End file.
